tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58838028349457492602024-02-20T22:11:13.112-08:00Empowered Through TorahReflections and thoughts from
Rabbi Howard Jacoby Ruben,
Head of School, Jewish Community High School of the Bay [JCHS] in San Francisco, CARabbi Howard Jacoby Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08402762889419647574noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-79112159260546160912021-12-17T08:28:00.002-08:002021-12-17T10:36:23.566-08:00Changing the Future: “Give From Wherever You Are Whatever You Can” (Vayechi 5782) <div class="separator"><span style="border: none; clear: left; display: inline-block; float: left; height: 232px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 395px;"><img height="235" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/AxA6uT6_BypSDIih7sx7EPCcpKfSJ37hQJfJpiDOQqb8VzcJMUtr7zi5Cs3PLQjxshtltSy1aba5p8amz-THsim3orB4BjdI8ZMKuecrUvUSmBTt3cGLobRdizGNSJUcNkDQaWPb=w400-h235" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="400" /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we read in this week’s Torah portion about the biblical Jacob gathering his children to give a blessing, the Rabbis puzzle over whether his blessing is a prophecy for their future or affirmation of their present. The episode calls to mind Claire Levin. She is pictured here with a kid she befriended four decades before in her neighborhood. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-13969d0b-7fff-0de3-a96c-26b607a896f4"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Claire’s family recently marked her fifth </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">yahrzeit</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (anniversary of death), I first learned about the transformative impact she had on that kid named Steve. He was growing up with no mother and no father. Steve’s future was so bleak that one babysitter pinned a note to him saying “this boy has no chance in the world.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As if that weren’t bad enough Steve was in an abusive foster home from the age of 3 until 16. Apart from the physical and emotional </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">privations Steve’s fosters also forbade him from reading in their presence.Steve was a third generation orphan seemingly destined to a life of total despair. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until he encountered </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Claire. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a mom of three boys Claire actively walked the neighborhood. She would see Steve sitting outside reading the same book day after day. One day Claire asked Steve about why he was always reading the same book. “Its the only book I have,” Steve told Claire. A few days later, Claire brought Steve a box full of books.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Claire’s kindness and encouragement ignited a passion for reading. Reading offered Steve an escape, an alternative reality to one he was suffering. Claire’s caring regard also was a beacon. In Steve’s words, Claire the first of several “human lighthouses” who shone a light toward a brighter future for him. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Their light also inspired his perseverance and nourished his resilience through high school, college, and a career in corporate America. They lit a path that carried Steve (Pemberton) toward becoming not only the chief human reso</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">urces executive for Walgreens but also a loving spouse and father of three. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BET.com </span><a href="https://www.bet.com/article/kj798m/on-the-record-with-steve-pemberton" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">calls him</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “a trail-blazing corporate executive.” </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His bestselling memoir became the inspiring 2018 film, “A Ch</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ance in the World.” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Four decades after getting that box of books, Steve searched for Claire to thank her. Because without her and the other lighthouses who showed him care, Steve believe he would not have achieved more than living out his tragic destiny. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At their </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHQxxteR0hc" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">reunion</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Steve asked Claire why she did it – what inspired her to bring him that box of book</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s. Claire answered she was fulfilling her mother’s vivid encouragement,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “Whenever you are able, give from wherever you are whatever you can.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steve’s extraordinary capacity to transform his future and the small, but essential, part that Claire part that played bring us back to that Torah scene of Jacob blessing his children. According to Rashi (11th century, France), Jacob wanted to give his children a prophecy. He wanted to foretell their futures. But he wasn’t able. (Rashi to Gen. 49:1; Pesachim 56a). </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rabbi Jonathan Sacks </span><a href="https://rabbisacks.org/on-not-predicting-the-future-vayechi-5776/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">learns from this week's Torah portion</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that the future is not made by our destiny. Rather, “we </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">make</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the future by our choices. . . . There is no fate we cannot change, no prediction we cannot defy. We are not predestined to fail; neither are we pre-ordained to succeed. We do not predict the future, because we make the future: by our choices, our willpower, our persistence and our determination to survive.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steve Pemberton is concrete proof of this. He succeeded because of his profound willpower . And because Claire Levin was inspired to “give from wherever you are whatever you can.” May we be inspired by each of them to defy any negative predictions that plague us, exercise resilience and grit to overcome our obstacles, and show caring regard to others whenever we can. Our regard might just be the lighthouse moment that changes the future. </span></p><br /><br /></span>Rabbi Howard Jacoby Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08402762889419647574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-69471243517352571522021-08-27T10:47:00.001-07:002021-08-27T14:31:36.245-07:00Laughter Lifts Learning (Ki Tavo 5781)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lI9wMKcNyIE6UPISVGMK3ntM-L-8fX0tNTOAdwQnrHGMAUV2KSiRKk-EYk0C32kJJ3-VGPmlgkjxWhC3UgKHLGlwOO9zSLhs-4DfwlUzx-D3-0v_xMT7I-MmVHNOah-ETrcmHJtBzOoC/s529/smiling+hhr.heic" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="499" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lI9wMKcNyIE6UPISVGMK3ntM-L-8fX0tNTOAdwQnrHGMAUV2KSiRKk-EYk0C32kJJ3-VGPmlgkjxWhC3UgKHLGlwOO9zSLhs-4DfwlUzx-D3-0v_xMT7I-MmVHNOah-ETrcmHJtBzOoC/w301-h320/smiling+hhr.heic" width="301"></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What an exciting first day of school we enjoyed this week. All students on campus at the same time for the first time since March 2020! The journey of a school year is so exciting. And anxiety producing. And confusing. And joyful. So many different feelings come together on that first day of school. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As we gathered the whole </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.jchsofthebay.org/about-us" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">JCHS</span></b></a></span> <span style="font-family: verdana;">school community this week in the theater </span>ahead of our first classes of the day, I told the student body about a gift my mother handed me my first day of school one year. She gave me "<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9284595-101-elephant-jokes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">101 Elephant Jokes</span></b></a>" saying to me, "laughter lifts learning! If you start your day with a smile, the learning will be better." Wanting to tell some of my favorite riddles from that now tattered book, I put on a clown mask (see photo - because this year we are all masked indoors all the time in California schools), so my smile behind the mask could be seen outside the mask, then shared:</div></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>Q: What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence?</div><div>A: Time to build a new fence.</div><div><br></div><div>Q: Where do you find elephants?</div><div>A: It depends where you left them.</div><span></span></div></span></div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2021/08/laughter-lifts-learning-ki-tavo-5781.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Rabbi Howard Jacoby Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08402762889419647574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-90204923839946513292021-08-20T06:13:00.004-07:002021-08-27T11:29:03.733-07:00Walking to School (Ki Tavo 5781)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDve7TY8tlNRGnmpSgmxAKCFQy4FX2yeKeBQZKUf2uYHcO5JFuqB6ykZuigVvskJlo6WMciJrH2KHjB2OaYEir9ENrMyU89Q9EpDM8Qp9NKARficv2Zko97_9lS3JVvdmmfJdYXRsMyTc/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntcyb9vxc_4Rlw90V-KjwjS9GrKBNuUMjZns09Jb6skWRa9Z-s0fY6aoxCHu9gZ1BAtrVEFnypPK05D5cHVlV7DVvx2uA3MSOE7Ix84yGkfrPKd_wh8YWwp0CxYM5qg1EwPvlTOyBEcnp/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntcyb9vxc_4Rlw90V-KjwjS9GrKBNuUMjZns09Jb6skWRa9Z-s0fY6aoxCHu9gZ1BAtrVEFnypPK05D5cHVlV7DVvx2uA3MSOE7Ix84yGkfrPKd_wh8YWwp0CxYM5qg1EwPvlTOyBEcnp/" width="320"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDve7TY8tlNRGnmpSgmxAKCFQy4FX2yeKeBQZKUf2uYHcO5JFuqB6ykZuigVvskJlo6WMciJrH2KHjB2OaYEir9ENrMyU89Q9EpDM8Qp9NKARficv2Zko97_9lS3JVvdmmfJdYXRsMyTc/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Our oldest granddaughter started kindergarten this week in Santa Monica right near where my mom walked me and my sister toward her first day of kindergarten.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As my mom walked us to school, she said, "Walking is special Not everyone is able to do it." I thought she meant some people, like my grandfather in a wheelchair, couldn't walk. Or maybe she meant you could pick flowers or climb trees or take hidden shortcuts while you walked.</div><span></span></span><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2021/08/walking-to-school-ki-tavo-5781.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Rabbi Howard Jacoby Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08402762889419647574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-64342517791932136062021-01-14T20:02:00.001-08:002021-01-14T20:09:10.707-08:00Topsy Turvy Start to 2021 (Shemot 5781)<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWBqukW4ejrfbUZOlS4qSf-hGEpExZHxghTW8KOxkKLClQgP9jxKxMr5oxRtvLRPmH6EmuTvnujGaEjrmYvbuQZ0JEyhCJ7zVHd5qRX5EGNpkrP3qDiuydJ5fu3vSAlylipRDCJ-o6Xe-/s2048/christophe-dion-8aYRsxVspHU-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWBqukW4ejrfbUZOlS4qSf-hGEpExZHxghTW8KOxkKLClQgP9jxKxMr5oxRtvLRPmH6EmuTvnujGaEjrmYvbuQZ0JEyhCJ7zVHd5qRX5EGNpkrP3qDiuydJ5fu3vSAlylipRDCJ-o6Xe-/w279-h420/christophe-dion-8aYRsxVspHU-unsplash.jpg" width="279" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@chris_dion?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Christophe Dion</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/confused?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>The start of 2021 has been topsy-turvy. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This week at Jewish Community High School of the Bay, with permission from San Francisco Department of Public Health, we happily are piloting optional, in-person, outdoor experiences for students</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but still are prohibited from learning indoors on Ellis Street. In the United States more than 500,000 have received a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but we feel the pull of the pandemic’s spike accelerated by a potentially more infectious coronavirus variant. And in a period of just 15 days, A</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mericans are experiencing the dislocation of a presidential insurrection and impeachment along with the exhilaration of a presidential inauguration. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is nearly overwhelming. Nearly impossible to keep in perspective. Calling on nearly every ounce of our resilience. </span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This week’s Torah portion, </span><a href="https://www.sefaria.org/topics/parashat-vaera?tab=sources" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #3d85c6; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Va’era</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> offers guidance through the travails of Moses. This week’s parsha is focused on Moses' failure. Over and over again -- through six plagues -- Moses fails at his one job, liberating our ancient slave ancestors. But Moses isn’t swallowed up by these failures. Rather he seems to grow wiser and stronger through them. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As my colleague, Rabbi Stephen Pearce once observed, Moses’ failures call to mind the great American figure who failed twice in business during the ‘30s; lost political races in the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s; and suffered a nervous breakdown. But we remember him because he was elected president in 1860: Abraham Lincoln.</span></div></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reflecting on his three decades of failure and defeat, Lincoln said, “A [person] is about as happy as [they] make up [their] mind to be.” Perspective is everything. </span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was asked to reflect on Torah heroes, she picked five from last week’s Torah portion, </span><a href="https://www.sefaria.org/topics/parashat-shemot?tab=sources" style="font-family: verdana; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shemot</span></a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Each of these five overcame intense, external challenges: Yocheved (Moses’ mother), Shifra and Puah (the midwives), Miriam, and Batya (Pharaoh’s daughter who courageously drew Moses from the water). </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ginsburg observed, “these women had a vision leading out of the darkness shrouding their world. They were women of action, prepared to defy [corrupt] authority to make their vision a reality bathed in the light of the day.”</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ginsburg’s own life is a chronicle of resilience: enduring the barbs of Harvard law school where classmates and faculty felt she was taking a slot that should have gone to a man, any man; battling to find work in a law firm because she was a woman; being judged harshly as a wife and a mother for wanting to work. Like Moses and Lincoln, Ginsburg seemed to grow wiser and stronger through these challenges. As she reflected years later, “So often in life, things you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.”</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the midst of this topsy-turvy start of 2021, I encourage all of us to lean on each other for the strength and wisdom needed to generate the perspective and resilience that will guide us from darkness to light. </span></span></div>Rabbi Howard Jacoby Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08402762889419647574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-41656898099842853232020-09-04T07:45:00.001-07:002020-10-02T12:47:41.943-07:00Destructive Power of Being Anonymous (Ki Tavo 5780)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhSZD-pRrMjv-UJlIfZVUQfYshpsNDGYOgI5FqOI7MfVpCGwBYDxK0Pk6YLkpAnjO2jMnf5lfezdTtsSU590Mtue6P-1gnuQBlwo3zm6c3GnB88rc_q6-vQpQzu4387yTsXd41EAkM9jL/s2048/bermix-studio-F7DAQIDSk98-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1631" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhSZD-pRrMjv-UJlIfZVUQfYshpsNDGYOgI5FqOI7MfVpCGwBYDxK0Pk6YLkpAnjO2jMnf5lfezdTtsSU590Mtue6P-1gnuQBlwo3zm6c3GnB88rc_q6-vQpQzu4387yTsXd41EAkM9jL/w319-h400/bermix-studio-F7DAQIDSk98-unsplash.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In responding the COVID19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, repeatedly has said <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/fauci-david-muir-universal-wearing-masks-essential-combat/story?id=72294374" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">universal mask wearing</span></b></a> is crucial to blunting the pandemic. Yes! But there is a very different kind of mask wearing, that is corrosive to society: The mask of claiming anonymity online. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A few years ago a number of students created a Facebook page to collect anonymous comments about other students. Shielded behind the cloak of anonymity, students were emboldened to post coarse and demeaning comments about each other. While some posts were benign, others were offensive. Many posts were intrusive or violated the privacy of others. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This week's Torah portion takes a firm position against this type of anonymity. "<span style="text-align: left;">Cursed is the one who strikes down their neighbor <b>in secret</b>." (Deuteronomy 27:24) As to understanding what Torah means by "striking down," commentators, for example, <a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_DeRabbi_Eliezer?lang=bi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer</span></b></a> (8th century, Babylonia), say it means "slander." </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">But why does our Torah verse add "in secret"; isn't it enough for condemn any kind of slander? Public slander distorts what is on the outside. Being on the outside we can see the distortions and work to correct them. But secret slander corrodes from the inside. In this way Torah is warning against the hidden fractures of society. Their danger is increased because we cannot see them well enough to fix them. We can address public mistakes more easily than hidden, secret ones. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Making anonymous posts is a kind of secret keeping. Research shows how keeping secrets <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ulterior-motives/201707/keeping-secrets-is-bad-you-is-why" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>adds stress to our lives</b></span></a> and makes us feel worse about ourselves. Keeping secrets corrodes our personal sense of authenticity (that is, the opposite of acting in ways that align with who we feel we really are). Research has linked secrecy to increased anxiety, depression, and poor health. The curse of secrets, it seems, is not only the hard work of keeping something secret, but also the added stress of <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-the-secrets-you-keep-are-hurting-you/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">living with our secrets</span></b></a>, thinking about them. </span> </div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rabbi Kenneth Brander (Rosh Yeshivah of Ohr Torah Stone) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UunTgiS23xw&" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>observes</b></span></a> in the context of this week's parsha that cyberbullying can be more corrosive than face to face bullying because the bully is camouflaged behind a screen. He writes, "</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Because of this physical disconnect from their victims, studies show that cyberbullies exhibit less remorse than physical bullies." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">As a school that empowers students to develop the integrity and moral courage to express themselves openly, we actively discourage students from posting anonymously. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">We have seen too often how hiding behind a screen stimulates cruelty and cynicism. Our </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">school community thrives on constructive engagement with each other. Openly. Authentically. May each of us have the courage to demonstrate care and compassion in private and in public. </span></div><div><br /></div></div><p></p>Rabbi Howard Jacoby Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08402762889419647574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-56118225930423563952020-08-28T13:18:00.003-07:002020-08-28T14:41:26.800-07:00Nothing Artificial About Responsibility, Generosity, Empathy (Ki Teitzei 5780)<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIh492-QF1fgYRtRrP_6rxDoORiT7eforWIHY3DLHLNIWQpSfOdelEdj53ojkyM25BaoMHZC0_-S5qsO7tUMJCSNocMuu9Mda6Q_5CfF2-q68ZBYI6FQU631pWObHUREZKrXzGlKQcN1Z/s400/SRA+REading+Lab+2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIh492-QF1fgYRtRrP_6rxDoORiT7eforWIHY3DLHLNIWQpSfOdelEdj53ojkyM25BaoMHZC0_-S5qsO7tUMJCSNocMuu9Mda6Q_5CfF2-q68ZBYI6FQU631pWObHUREZKrXzGlKQcN1Z/s0/SRA+REading+Lab+2.jpg"></a></div>Last </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">night was our first-ever, virtual Back to School Night as we started the <a href="https://www.jchsofthebay.org/our-plan-for-2020-2021" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">JCHS </span></b></a>school year in Campus Mode #4 (All Out, 100% Distance). It capped a first full week of online classes filled with much curiosity, lots of laughter, many questions, refreshed learning, and tremendous resilience. Here is the message I shared with parents and students at the end of this week . . .</span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-6bf8a7ed-7fff-2d04-d4b0-f26b2987047f"><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve been away from our campus on Ellis Street for so long (this is the 25th Shabbat in a row since COVID19 moved us into our homes), it’s easy to overlook things that happened last March. One likely overlooked </span><a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252481543/Inside-Alibabas-NLP-labs" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">March 2020 headline</span></a><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">headline announced a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. AI researchers in China and the United States finally bested real people on the benchmark used to measure sentence comprehension and sentence-pairing. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seeing that headline triggered a vivid memory of my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Gray, presenting our class with a very modern, machine looking box. As she set the big box on the table in front of her desk, she lifted the lid to reveal a set of illustrated story cards side by side with a range of color-coded question cards. It was called the SRA Reading Laboratory. Mrs. Gray said we’d be using it to deepen our 9-year old reading comprehension skills. I bet a lot of you used that or later versions of the SRA reading boxes. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I loved that SRA box. I could move at my own pace. I was competing just with myself. It was very growth-mindset oriented. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But -- and I share this part of the story because it is the season of reflecting on and assessing our past mistakes as we prepare for the new Jewish year that starts in three weeks -- I messed up. My 9-year old self began getting focused on moving through the box in order to look smart to Mrs. Gray and my classmates. Seeming smart on the outside became more important to me than being understanding what I was reading. <span></span></span></p></span><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2020/08/nothing-artificial-about-responsibility.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Rabbi Howard Jacoby Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08402762889419647574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-65300454365026802392020-06-19T16:59:00.002-07:002020-08-28T14:42:43.321-07:00How to Find What We Are Seeking This Summer (Shelach 5780)<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-4c164f1d-7fff-3428-b83d-3c79f9220e07" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As this summer opens our country is reeling from the corrosive impact of centuries of racism from which many of us have looked away too often. The shadows of anger, resentment, shame, and fear are long. Those shadows cross with the more recent, shorter ones of anxiety and disruption coming from a worldwide pandemic. Alone or taken together these shadows threaten to swallow the light of summer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps an insight taken from this week’s Torah portion, can help us find light in the midst of these shadows. The Torah portion is suffused throughout with a single Hebrew verb </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">latoor </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-- to explore, scout, or seek out. The Torah portion describes the assignment of selected scouts to confirm the divine promises awaiting our ancestors as they come close to crossing into Canaan. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The great scouting mission of Torah, however, fails to confirm the promises. Instead a huge majority of the scouts return from their mission terrorizing the generation of the Exodus about what perils await across the border. Their fear is so crushing they wish themselves dead, erased, zeroed out. Because of this botched scouting report our ancestors are set to wandering in the wilderness as punishment -- one year for every day of that failed 40-day mission. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a result, we sometimes ignore the Hebrew verb in this week’s Torah portion as a basis for naming the scouts. Instead we look toward the end of the Torah to find a different root word for the scouts. There Moses reflects on the scouts’ behavior this week by using the word </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">la’regel. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When put into noun form, it becomes “spies.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which is it, “scouts” or “spies”?!?<span></span></span></div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2020/06/how-to-find-what-we-are-seeking-this.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-89145260443327722852020-06-15T11:53:00.002-07:002020-08-28T14:43:31.210-07:00Lifting Your Light (Graduation 2020 and Behaalot'cha 5780)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="">[JCHS Commencement 2020 was unlike any other affected by three months of sheltering-in-place due to COVID19 and two weeks of nationwide protests over centuries of racism. Here is some of what I said to our graduates via Zoom.] </span><br>
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<span face="">As each of us comes to this screen this afternoon our hearts are filled: w</span><span face="">ith distress over the sadness and anger gripping our country because of the murder of people because of the color of their skin; with </span><span face="">anxiety growing out of a worldwide pandemic along with its impact on each of our homes; w</span><span face="">ith pride for this special class; w</span><span face="">ith gratitude for our professional community; w</span><span face="">ith the joy of completion; and with </span><span face="">deep memories of those among our families and dear friends whose recent or long ago deaths are still with us. </span><span face="">We take a quiet moment now for each of us to catch our breath and bring all that distress, anxiety, pride, gratitude, joy, and loss to mind. ... </span><br><br>
<span face="">The Talmud teaches us in Bava Batra that when we build a new home, we leave a small patch of it unpainted or incomplete as a reminder that nothing in the work of our hands can be entirely perfect or complete. How true! So remember, as we build together this Commencement 2020 online, even if there are glitches or stumbles on screen or at home, we are all doing our best to celebrate the special Class of 2020. </span><br>
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<span></span></div></div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2020/06/lifting-your-light-graduation-2020-and.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-50440721499099903332020-06-01T18:22:00.011-07:002020-06-01T18:31:08.490-07:00Turning Our Head to See: We Cannot Look Away Any Longer (Naso 5780)<span id="docs-internal-guid-a5004730-7fff-62be-daeb-a287709f8278"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bJbSV5JHoH0L1AvYM-Udgx0CY2jIAWP2B8lGWc2f_-6C_A9f3pp74Run-MteP_DYMxPWKNQ7dy-fYrPAXqcTv2PonWooo9MZHeIe7gkscqzRKrz3uf_51x0g01OcheRkga2-NX2RAEaM/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bJbSV5JHoH0L1AvYM-Udgx0CY2jIAWP2B8lGWc2f_-6C_A9f3pp74Run-MteP_DYMxPWKNQ7dy-fYrPAXqcTv2PonWooo9MZHeIe7gkscqzRKrz3uf_51x0g01OcheRkga2-NX2RAEaM/w400-h266/SF+Chronicle+Photo+by+Santiago+Mejia+May+31+2020.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="1">Photo by Santiago Mejia for SF Chronicle 5/31/20</font> <br></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At the end of last week the Jewish community observed Shavuot, the festival celebrating the giving of Torah and our responsibility to make real its lessons in every generation. One of Torah’s most powerful lessons is the inherent value and sanctity of each human life. From this the Sages declare that anyone who destroys a single life has destroyed an entire world. (Sanhedrin 4:5).</span></div></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">After two days of being away from screens through Shavuot, I turned on my phone and was shocked, but sadly not surprised, to see escalating turmoil and violence shaking our country. In recent weeks, we have seen whole worlds destroyed by the horrible deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Their names are added now to the overwhelming number of others. There has been a seeming advancing cascade of death, dehumanizing, and systemic racism experienced by people of color in our country. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span></span></div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2020/06/turning-our-head-to-see-we-cannot-look.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Rabbi Howard Jacoby Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08402762889419647574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-17050117099275336172020-01-17T10:18:00.000-08:002020-01-17T10:18:00.576-08:00Gratitude: The Path to Serenity (Shemot 5780)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjqT6NQxNZpfAsBeW3MoEKYePnIVcDV5EY7ZIhdWQYDWu7ITsA5UZqRjxdGADc6N2Sxp4Wn7sqxxycGAXtYiD0AMZRcFD8JefoQiPB09XNPaQ2upVBqf9WBTKzh9WXLv8BmJvVrq7EEM/s1600/path+to+serenity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjqT6NQxNZpfAsBeW3MoEKYePnIVcDV5EY7ZIhdWQYDWu7ITsA5UZqRjxdGADc6N2Sxp4Wn7sqxxycGAXtYiD0AMZRcFD8JefoQiPB09XNPaQ2upVBqf9WBTKzh9WXLv8BmJvVrq7EEM/s400/path+to+serenity.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Monica beach at sunset</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fifty years ago this Shabbat I became a Bar Mitzvah. My preparations included jogging along Santa Monica beach listening to a tape of my Torah portion. I was anxious about all the learning. The beach path was soothing, calm, serene. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 50th anniversary has stirred up lots of memories. Mostly sweet ones. Two sour memories. One was dancing awkwardly and super self-consciously at the party after reading from the Torah. Another was during the service. This particular memory brings embarrassment and shame. Which is why it is so important to reflect on it even 50 years later. It is a difficult memory; still, I am grateful for it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After reading from parshat Shemot and doing the Haftara and reading my dvar Torah (my chance to teach about the Torah reading), I thanked my teachers, my rabbi, and my friends. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, and this is the embarrassing part, I did not publicly thank my parents. </span></div>
<a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2020/01/gratitude-path-to-serenity-shemot-5780.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-47899514320142939952019-12-20T11:08:00.000-08:002019-12-20T11:09:07.908-08:00The Color of Jealousy: From Darkness to Light (Vayeshev and Chanukah 5780)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UKdlgf2aInkgwNTvgsQydsnv3jjxagDR1GmYN0M5F7R5yv3pskMwmJYAkZxDM-HFvdu2uPnKoccVWCeEtqJcI15j1WUxJhZ98ZgyyLrx5haR6d2Mdkph0RYrmlkc0d-uobgXllJHA5g/s1600/cow+of+no+color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UKdlgf2aInkgwNTvgsQydsnv3jjxagDR1GmYN0M5F7R5yv3pskMwmJYAkZxDM-HFvdu2uPnKoccVWCeEtqJcI15j1WUxJhZ98ZgyyLrx5haR6d2Mdkph0RYrmlkc0d-uobgXllJHA5g/s400/cow+of+no+color.jpg" width="268"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Colors have been on my mind. Last week JCHS students competed in Color Games. This week's Torah portion features a coat of many colors. And when Chanukah begins this coming Sunday night, some of us have customs for how will we mix or match candle colors on different nights. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sometimes colors are random, decorative, or superficial, or even silly. Even then it is human nature to give deep meaning to different colors. For instance, one graduate student held a workshop to explore subconscious associations with the different colors of <a href="https://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/what-your-favorite-color-of-mandm-says-about-you-6436129" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">M&M candies</span></b></a>. It is true that those who favor blue M&Ms are trendsetters? Or brown are favored by traditionalists? Red represents confidence? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At other times, the meaning of colors goes much deeper. In this week's Torah portion, we are told, Jacob favors </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">one of his children so much, loves him so powerfully, that Jacob gives that son, Joseph, a coat of many colors. None of his siblings receive that favoritism or get a similar gift. This fires their jealousy toward Joseph. Their dark jealousy is so consuming it turns to hatred; a hatred that makes them incapable of speaking peaceably with Joseph. (Genesis 37:3-4.) Their dark jealousy is so powerful it erases family bonds and destroys their humanity. </span><br>
</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-color-of-jealousy-from-darkness-to.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-40286422675391408842019-11-26T13:45:00.000-08:002019-11-26T14:16:57.163-08:00Giving Thanks for the Kindness of Strangers (Thanksgiving 2019 and Toledot 5780)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpbZozaI4v2O_2ryEadVq57OfiK3Jz6JwN3Q05TJzxOSq8WBSJvqmbpZzHQ1_v4cHskwPItrVlaXfGH43pmhML4IAJl3sWV1ZdysLYeQs6o5akrnR-A31sPJrxYuRqLhrXshG0HNqGEM/s1600/IMG_1175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpbZozaI4v2O_2ryEadVq57OfiK3Jz6JwN3Q05TJzxOSq8WBSJvqmbpZzHQ1_v4cHskwPItrVlaXfGH43pmhML4IAJl3sWV1ZdysLYeQs6o5akrnR-A31sPJrxYuRqLhrXshG0HNqGEM/s400/IMG_1175.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks to the kindness and generosity of complete strangers, I am here; able to write this post. Thanks to their rescuing me from severe dehydration and moderate heatstroke, I am here and able to give thanks!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I met these strangers this summer near the summit of the <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/hawaii/kauai/sleeping-giant-nounou-mountain-east-trail" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Sleeping Giant Trail on Kauai</span></b></a>. The hike to breathtaking views was very steep, muddy, and slippery in spots -- cool breezes mixed with intense summer humidity and rain. The reviews we read in advance of the hike underestimated, to my mind, the difficulty of this hike. We did not bring enough water or eat well enough before our early morning start. A recipe for near disaster and lots of drama . . . </span></div>
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<a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/11/giving-thanks-for-kindness-of-strangers.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-74732216569650350532019-11-22T10:10:00.002-08:002019-11-26T14:14:49.611-08:00My Parents Brainwashed Me: I Call It Teaching (Chayei Sarah 5780)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXg22nhurYm0c8FE044dAIuBsg_HlEg2daYRIFD1dFl59afUw6NkHtEDlkTVtOxroFenqTRSpCoHP3LmB6u-HXwKxdTNILCrOQDagFI790P6KqjhMrqcthv7H81Mh1wZCNbYaTTpf4prQ/s1600/Bronx+Youth+Poetry+SLAM+2013,+Ethan+Metzger+-+YouTube.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXg22nhurYm0c8FE044dAIuBsg_HlEg2daYRIFD1dFl59afUw6NkHtEDlkTVtOxroFenqTRSpCoHP3LmB6u-HXwKxdTNILCrOQDagFI790P6KqjhMrqcthv7H81Mh1wZCNbYaTTpf4prQ/s400/Bronx+Youth+Poetry+SLAM+2013,+Ethan+Metzger+-+YouTube.png" width="400"></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parents provide powerful legacies for their children. A few years ago, Ethan Metzger, then a high school senior in New York, <b><a href="http://youtu.be/isLtc5lFgf8" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">delivered a slam poem</span></a> </b>about it. Ethan recited, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"<i>My parents did brainwash me. My mom she incessantly told me as a child again and again and again to just do the best you can. And that idea is now so ingrained in my mind that I don’t define success as whether I got an A or won the game but whether I gave it my all. You can call it brainwashing if you want. That’s fine. I call it teaching</i>.” </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How did your parents brainwash you?</span><br>
</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/11/my-parents-brainwashed-me-i-call-it.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-6168234012182359392019-11-08T13:54:00.000-08:002019-11-08T13:53:10.432-08:00Discovering Our Unique Gifts Deep Inside (Lech Lecha 5780)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4KOx-AHgxTy9wHg3lympRqXhheagWYiyG1ysPfY2xZYLSIti5g8F_NawN5ksCWr3yzJtKUZGENAn8I4OQppkuc_Fqh_MBSTEYYXlTrgfPHpY0mVdoYxFtwV4DbO0PHLAMw3vSs9x_MM/s1600/colored+pencils.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4KOx-AHgxTy9wHg3lympRqXhheagWYiyG1ysPfY2xZYLSIti5g8F_NawN5ksCWr3yzJtKUZGENAn8I4OQppkuc_Fqh_MBSTEYYXlTrgfPHpY0mVdoYxFtwV4DbO0PHLAMw3vSs9x_MM/s400/colored+pencils.webp" width="400"></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A parent visiting my office last night asked why there are so many colored pencils at the work table. "It's not the art room!" they exclaimed. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sure, I have them there for doodlers. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More important, though, these pencils are a reminder to treasure the uniqueness of each student and a valuable lesson from this week's Torah portion. </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Lech Lecha </i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">begins with the divine directive to Abram that he leave his birthplace and everything familiar, then venture out to a destination not yet specified in order that Abram will become a blessing. (Genesis 12:1-2.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Hebrew the directive, <i>"lech lecha</i>," usually is translated as "go forth" or "go! really go!" But the <a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/rabbi-menachem-mendel-of-kotzk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Kotzker Rebbe</span></b></a> (19th century, Poland) reads the Hebrew more literally to mean </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“go into yourself.” That is, discover in yourself the unique gifts that belong only to you. Explore your highest potential. If you can activate that journey, then you will be a blessing to others. This framing is a reminder that <i>these</i> gifts deep inside are the ones we carry wherever we go. In my mind, these are the gifts that sustain throughout the journey of life no matter the detours or twists and turns. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> the ones we bring with us wherever we go. If we observe them and honor them, these gifts will sustain us throughout the journey no matter the destination.</span></div>
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</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/11/discovering-our-unique-gifts-deep.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-18564245752367496262019-10-08T11:44:00.000-07:002019-10-08T12:23:13.347-07:00Encircled by the Cages We Keep (Yom Kippur and Haazinu 5780)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At this season the Jewish community is focused on <i>teshuvah </i>-- translated often as repentance, it literally means to turn or return. We return to the highest goals we have for our behavior, we return to our community, we return to our friends and families. Each of these returns is a stop along the path we set for ourselves in the Jewish new year that has just begun. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those moves bring changes that transform our lives. Even the Yom Kippur liturgy echoes this thought ("Teshuvah . . . transforms our fate"). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One colleague talks about her parents loving to needlepoint. In anticipation of Yom Kippur, they needlepointed the saying, "Teshuvah Changes Things." They proudly displayed the completed framed needlepoint on the mantle. It was gone </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the next day. They asked their partner, "Did you see what happened to my needlepoint." "Yes. I took it down.' "But I thought you valued Teshuvah," the needlepointer exclaimed. "Teshuvah is just fine. It's change I can't stand!" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Probing our relationship to change is vital to this season. As a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">nother colleague, Rabbi Erica Asch, teaches, "These holidays are not a time to change others. Instead, we must focus on changing ourselves." She observes that incremental are both achievable and impactful. Making a 180-degree turn seems impossible. But a turn of even 3 or 4 degrees if we hold to it long enough will dramatically change the path of our lives. </span></span></div>
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</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/10/encircled-by-cages-we-keep-yom-kippur.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-28859454813261196432019-09-27T08:37:00.000-07:002019-09-27T13:43:59.189-07:00What Woodchoppers and Songwriters Teach Us About Inclusion (Nitzavim 5779 and Rosh Hashanah 5780)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Con1w_hwBT0wTTxLL9EGC-IIydA3sz1X8Wk8AIW7IsBytCkx3DVKoxvnBURw6B4JkQhfJrx8lxCbRLcnQtoKAhfvgtIGrmrskgAC05Zuq9CykqJ4G0tcwYAIEVGWlv_8qs5Xy-rPBio/s1600/Woodchoppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="500" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Con1w_hwBT0wTTxLL9EGC-IIydA3sz1X8Wk8AIW7IsBytCkx3DVKoxvnBURw6B4JkQhfJrx8lxCbRLcnQtoKAhfvgtIGrmrskgAC05Zuq9CykqJ4G0tcwYAIEVGWlv_8qs5Xy-rPBio/s400/Woodchoppers.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Woodchoppers are mentioned only once in Torah<br><a href="https://www.womenslandarmy.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">UK Women's Land Army</span></b></a> (1941)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Torah teaches a powerful lesson about human interaction this week. A lesson that it took researchers a few dozen centuries to figure out. That is, teams comprised of those with diverse perspectives and ideas outperform collections of individuals who all are similar to each other. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is especially true when a team is creating something, solving complex problems, or performing complicated tasks. Th</span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e contemporary research is explained in Scott Page's </span></span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.santafe.edu/news-center/news/pages-diversity-bonus-makes-business-case-diverse-teams" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Diversity Bonus: How Great Teams Pay Off in the Knowledge Economy</span></b></a></i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">. This was one of the books JCHS educators read over this last summer. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Page writes about the Beatles' John Lennon and Paul McCartney. He presumes most people know that as a songwriting duo they top the "Billboard" list of songwriters with the most number one hits. What most people don't know is that in third place on that list is Martin Sandberg (who writes songs under the name Max Martin). Martin is famous for writing song such as </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>I Want It That Way</i> for Backstreet Boys, <i>DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love</i> for Usher, and <i>I Kissed a Girl</i> for Katy Perry. </span><br>
</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/09/what-woodchoppers-and-songwriters-teach.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-42533930701585707162019-09-13T10:54:00.000-07:002019-09-13T10:55:50.843-07:00Molding Character with a Forgotten Sheaf and a Magic Seed (Ki Teitzei 5779)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4pcBQm31rUW4m3-8KprbuaBN0kMbFAGm37XuXa9JypFu6sYR3hM80fZ_gSocEGUzQPVP1LLRGz70-qkWkcx-vACojCDqzUaEf3_uMV9mNpnUGi0X9IPqy3g8Dfy5YeUK1LlKwUPOEGM/s1600/magic+seed+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4pcBQm31rUW4m3-8KprbuaBN0kMbFAGm37XuXa9JypFu6sYR3hM80fZ_gSocEGUzQPVP1LLRGz70-qkWkcx-vACojCDqzUaEf3_uMV9mNpnUGi0X9IPqy3g8Dfy5YeUK1LlKwUPOEGM/s400/magic+seed+2.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last month, an international aid organization <a href="https://www.bread.org/report/2019-hunger-report" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">reported</span></b></a> that after observing a 12-year decline in global hunger, there has been a concerning increase over the last two years. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This called to mind a hand-lettered sign I saw in a community food bank</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: "Sometimes I want to ask God why She allows people to go hungry when there's plenty she can do to fix that. But I am afraid God would ask me the same question!" </span><br>
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</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/09/molding-character-with-forgotten-sheaf.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-1111365272775584552019-09-06T09:45:00.000-07:002019-09-13T13:11:02.685-07:00Finding Our Way (Shoftim 5779)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryMBwrQsAAZz5xw9BpMPWwXELKZwfjcoosC89HFPejBu1V4TBVHbpQanrahIo0XAnr161IVd7SLen4MNyjmo4QG0BVzsKxCmZtUiNWOF0KR12oKxLUdtfJ-nyBC2uHWpww_mbcwuIyhY/s1600/Tzedek+Tzedek+Poster+for+Womens+March+%2528Hebrew+voiced+for+women%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryMBwrQsAAZz5xw9BpMPWwXELKZwfjcoosC89HFPejBu1V4TBVHbpQanrahIo0XAnr161IVd7SLen4MNyjmo4QG0BVzsKxCmZtUiNWOF0KR12oKxLUdtfJ-nyBC2uHWpww_mbcwuIyhY/s400/Tzedek+Tzedek+Poster+for+Womens+March+%2528Hebrew+voiced+for+women%2529.png" width="300"></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2017 Women's March Poster by Ruth Mergi<br>(Voicing pursuit of justice in Hebrew feminine)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the most famous phrases in the Torah comes from this week's portion. It's so famous that presidents use it in <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/we-are-all-jews-full-text-of-president-obamas-holocaust-day-remarks/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">speeches</span></b></a>. A Supreme Court justice has the phrase <a href="https://jewishlouisville.org/ruth-bader-ginsberg-showed-unexpected-humor-during-live-from-the-92nd-street-y/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3d85c6; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">posted in her chambers</a>. The phrase is "t<i>zedek tzedek tirdoph</i> - justice, justice you must pursue." (Deut. 16:20.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This phrase seems a fitting introduction to the season of introspection that began last weekend. That's when the Hebrew month, Elul, opened. It is the month that comes right before Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year). This sense of being judged at this season moved the ancient rabbis to call Rosh Hashanah, "<i>Yom Hadin</i> - Day of Judgment [or justice]." </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As the calendar turns toward Rosh Hashanah it is customary to become especially self-reflective; judging ourselves and our behaviors in the year that's coming to a close. As my colleague, Rabbi Elyse Goldstein writes about this week's Torah portion, "It is now that I try and focus on the coming period of introspection and self-evaluation." </span></span><br>
</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/09/finding-our-way-shoftim-5779.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-32297917086678400042019-08-30T08:37:00.000-07:002019-09-13T13:11:57.106-07:00Only You: The Power of Individuals in Community (Re'eh 5779)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyhQ06ln5fXJ6UZoEh-TV-q9nfgcBI70jQwP09f9x_NSBPZaHiGsT-ffvxA0RMTF28Ptuc_ATnhrW65DKDolKlcm_4N2mRRRZ-JH65oCSw0IMZHHCcYh4V2MnKS2CM19ZH9o0bGfIVRk/s1600/Smokey+Bear+Only+You.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="220" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyhQ06ln5fXJ6UZoEh-TV-q9nfgcBI70jQwP09f9x_NSBPZaHiGsT-ffvxA0RMTF28Ptuc_ATnhrW65DKDolKlcm_4N2mRRRZ-JH65oCSw0IMZHHCcYh4V2MnKS2CM19ZH9o0bGfIVRk/s400/Smokey+Bear+Only+You.jpg" width="313"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Smokey Bear" Turned 75 in August 2019</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Earlier this month the U.S. Forest Service celebrated the 75th birthday of </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/us/smokey-bear-birthday.html" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Smokey Bear</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> - the iconic forest dweller who still encourages individual responsibility to prevent wildfires -- as many as <a href="https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-wildfires" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">90%</span></b></a> of which are sparked by human activity. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I was a kid, we </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">took Smokey seriously whenever we were making fires or with people who smoked outdoors. Each of us thought, "It is on me!" </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In recent years, though, with the accelerating frequency and intensity of wildfires caused by climate change and urban planning factors, I wonder if Smokey's message still resonates. Can any <i>one </i>of us really prevent a wildfire?</span><br>
</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/08/only-you-power-of-individuals-in.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-89339388180007744592019-08-23T11:08:00.000-07:002019-09-13T13:07:42.760-07:00Outside Matching Inside: First Day of School (Eikev 5779)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovBJtgkcZ6ml3XZFqws5PiZzF081oK3TBJnCP3WaaSYPD0ftbX8inOt14uQ3VPODbd0RA0B5pW9RYGE4WRJHMrVAQcIxJEPl3Qy2dPk94KGWpYo6sSHjyEW-zbxuy0eVkIV3XrxAjv5k/s1600/Botanical+Print+Orange+Citrus+Vulgaris+Risso+Plant+Print+_+Etsy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="392" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovBJtgkcZ6ml3XZFqws5PiZzF081oK3TBJnCP3WaaSYPD0ftbX8inOt14uQ3VPODbd0RA0B5pW9RYGE4WRJHMrVAQcIxJEPl3Qy2dPk94KGWpYo6sSHjyEW-zbxuy0eVkIV3XrxAjv5k/s400/Botanical+Print+Orange+Citrus+Vulgaris+Risso+Plant+Print+_+Etsy.png" width="313"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange on the<b> inside</b> and the <b>outside</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">At </span><a href="https://www.jchsofthebay.org/page/about-us" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #339933; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">JCHS</span></b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> this week, I invited students to reflect on all the different paths they took to come to school. Walked. Skateboard. BART. Shuttle. Public bus. Carpool. Bike. Ferry. Car. Some combination of these. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">In some ways, my own journey to JCHS began 40 years ago this month when I started law school just a few blocks from JCHS. I was still working at a Jewish summer camp in Saratoga about 50 miles away from law school. (URJ Camp Swig later moved to Santa Rosa as URJ Camp Newman). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">I remember my first day of law school so vividly. I knew no one. I had never visited the campus before that first day. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I took a Greyhound bus at 6:05am to be at law school by 8:00am. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nervous, afraid -- about how people would look at me. Whether I had the right bookbag, pens, highlighters. I even felt stressed about what type of paper to use for taking notes (in the days </span><br>
</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/08/outside-matching-inside-first-day-of.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-66358021879553486882019-08-18T13:18:00.000-07:002019-09-13T13:08:29.648-07:00The Year Ahead: A Path of Purpose (Eikev 5779)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dA5BJRQqiFUpzMxaIjvs2-uM_cMQ4vRdMeBqoN63hzh0EU0ZOOwvPDCfMKPDfIaBL1Uf94mYGlMFntAPbRFZMC-DSQYvlFJmZ63udi-yUO5rv0M76tn6e7i_YJtjskiNuXuRLW8_bjQ/s1600/bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dA5BJRQqiFUpzMxaIjvs2-uM_cMQ4vRdMeBqoN63hzh0EU0ZOOwvPDCfMKPDfIaBL1Uf94mYGlMFntAPbRFZMC-DSQYvlFJmZ63udi-yUO5rv0M76tn6e7i_YJtjskiNuXuRLW8_bjQ/s400/bridge.jpg" width="400"></a><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The rhythm of transitioning from school days to summer days and back again to school days calls to mind one of my school teachers. On the last day of school in June, my teacher told us the best plan for summer “is to do nothing.” That seemed pretty cool, I thought to myself. No early wake-up! No homework! No schedules! No more chores! No more responsibilities! Do nothing!</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-9e731402-7fff-fc63-aec6-d70e6a976380"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My dreams of “doing nothing” were shattered when a classmate asked if the teacher literally meant “do nothing!” “Not exactly,” they explained, “I mean find a purpose outside of school. Try something new. Don’t be afraid to fail. Practice kindness without being blocked by peer pressure. Take responsibility for your boredom. That’s the purpose of summer!”</span></span><br>
</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-year-ahead-path-of-purpose-eikev.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-19727011332484575882019-06-20T12:16:00.000-07:002019-09-13T13:09:07.318-07:00Listen Closely for the Spark; Fan the Flame (Summer Reading 2019; Beha'alotecha 5779)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEb34a4exhKrjNaTn2FRxUxCaBJGHhamT3PIrrO-CTsr3yblu0mBSX9fBPzpzxP1om5jJc7B1XCQCjxyNrlQrHchGo5-aDoQXnWYu4otJ_FGJ-n7WvvD2DgHvVSv6v5bs3Wj_tKpuEicA/s1600/Mike+Norment+Swim+with+Purpose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1220" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEb34a4exhKrjNaTn2FRxUxCaBJGHhamT3PIrrO-CTsr3yblu0mBSX9fBPzpzxP1om5jJc7B1XCQCjxyNrlQrHchGo5-aDoQXnWYu4otJ_FGJ-n7WvvD2DgHvVSv6v5bs3Wj_tKpuEicA/s400/Mike+Norment+Swim+with+Purpose.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://-/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Mike Norbert</span></a>,</b> former NCAA All-American, founder of<br>Swim with a Purpose swim school in Atlanta</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Summer was time for fun in my family. But it also was a time for learning with a purpose -- whether it was beginning swim lessons or lifeguarding courses at the local pool, learning new social skills at public school enrichment day camp, theater and literature classes at summer school, or reading one of my parents' favorite childhood adventure books. Summer was a time for exploration, taking risks, and pursuing a passion or two.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I got older summer also became a time for work to earn bus and gas money and learn new skills. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While we couldn't afford big vacations, our summers were rich with experiences. Many of those experiences have informed important life choices -- working with children, encouraging others to pursue their passions, being open to learning from all experiences and people, celebrating diversity and honoring differences among people.</span></div>
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</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/06/listen-closely-for-spark-fan-flame.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-24898085239533235592019-06-07T08:18:00.001-07:002019-09-13T13:10:06.871-07:00Are You a Journey Person or a Destination Person: Graduation 2019 (Bamidbar 5779) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiq175ufY4dlv7B7_WPfLu7GzdVR_qXXKb34fXbDANTfqQMTVfKXRaE9l5uyChpONTxzR6S9YOStyyXnNvnSPeNgMApw-kKOKBBJLfhK_HJ3iLPlbcZCe0QE2BPIQQmyFvzCJuNEYAlew/s1600/golden-gate-bridge-fog-globe-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiq175ufY4dlv7B7_WPfLu7GzdVR_qXXKb34fXbDANTfqQMTVfKXRaE9l5uyChpONTxzR6S9YOStyyXnNvnSPeNgMApw-kKOKBBJLfhK_HJ3iLPlbcZCe0QE2BPIQQmyFvzCJuNEYAlew/s320/golden-gate-bridge-fog-globe-2.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My precious students*, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had a high school teacher who on the last day of class put a snow globe on her desk. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then she directed each of us to make a list of the most important things we’d be leaving behind when we finished high school. She asked us to imagine putting those things in a snow globe. That way, she explained, our imagined snow globe would be a kind of high school souvenir. Then she warned us to </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">consider carefully whether it would be a <i>journey</i> snow globe or a <i>destination</i> snow globe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A <i>journey</i> snow globe would have artifacts from one's daily experience: maybe a pair of soccer shoes, a picnic lunch we enjoyed with a friend, and a park bench where we sat with a bestie up all night talking. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A <i>destination</i> snow globe would have big memorable buildings,, the college we would be moving to in August, and a favorite swimming pool. </span><br>
</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/06/are-you-journey-person-or-destination.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Howard J Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07249183320212192490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-51752778846093195802019-03-29T10:27:00.000-07:002019-03-29T13:36:06.458-07:00The Journey: The Blues or Blue Skies (Shemini 5779)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbog2ySWaG1cO4x9-msbmCEZ0tpRs9vbC8de3dp4H1B5hS_sPBHyHrzQ_McNsb0Mg2wJ9_5nc7BJnsiO7Wp8R6PZUi3pD_yfAjdZpWm7_5AKIFc_RbEb4_OUmJsIwErNU3QIGFaKXXvaj/s1600/Golden-Gate-Bridge-by-Ramon-Llorensi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="300" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbog2ySWaG1cO4x9-msbmCEZ0tpRs9vbC8de3dp4H1B5hS_sPBHyHrzQ_McNsb0Mg2wJ9_5nc7BJnsiO7Wp8R6PZUi3pD_yfAjdZpWm7_5AKIFc_RbEb4_OUmJsIwErNU3QIGFaKXXvaj/s400/Golden-Gate-Bridge-by-Ramon-Llorensi.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by <a href="https://allegravita.com/2011/03/25/what-jack-dorseys-square-and-illuminant-have-in-common-a-central-unifying-principle/golden-gate-bridge-by-ramon-llorensi/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Ramon Llorensi</span></b></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We often are ambivalent about Sundays. Some Sundays leave us with dissonance and anxiety anticipating the week ahead. We feel helpless: those are Sunday <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">blues</span></b>. Other Sundays inspire us to carry optimism and hope into the coming week. We feel hopeful; those are <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">blue</span></b> sky Sundays. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>This</i> Sunday every <a href="https://www.jchsofthebay.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">JCHS</span></b></a> student will be adventuring far from home - to southern California, to Zion National Park, to New Orleans, and within Israel. These journeys empower our students by engaging them with others who think, live, and believe differently than they do. These journeys empower our students to see their own world from different points of view -- and to imagine shaping the world through their effort and labor. Still just as Sundays start each week, some journey encounters will generate dissonance or anxiety while others inspire optimism and hope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Torah portion this week hints at our inherent capacity to choose optimism over anxiety - seeing <i>blue skies</i> instead of feeling <i>the blues.</i> </span><br>
</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-journey-blue-skies-or-blues-shemini.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Rabbi Howard Jacoby Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08402762889419647574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883802834945749260.post-63933496031944900032019-03-08T10:36:00.000-08:002019-03-08T10:36:44.437-08:00The Journey of Connection (Pekudei 5779)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVffRJo9ic1lE9EHuJe7dodSEG8f1cS8D3yhEXha3uiQlcujaJBCwyBNVx64sKVibPIo-gfPiFhBZ8ywMhqrZUFAFXE38fgR-z5THIpn6ERACXyzF0GQ9FlNCkQRLRqYgUffxQ3X_9byia/s1600/2019+JCHS+BasketballAd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVffRJo9ic1lE9EHuJe7dodSEG8f1cS8D3yhEXha3uiQlcujaJBCwyBNVx64sKVibPIo-gfPiFhBZ8ywMhqrZUFAFXE38fgR-z5THIpn6ERACXyzF0GQ9FlNCkQRLRqYgUffxQ3X_9byia/s400/2019+JCHS+BasketballAd.jpg" width="330"></a><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's been a remarkable year for <a href="https://www.jchsofthebay.org/page/Homepage?siteId=633" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">JCHS</span></b></a> athletics with three teams, so far, earning spots in state sectionals (Boys Soccer, Girls Volleyball, and Boys Basketball). The journey of this year's basketball team is especially remarkable leveraging exceptional levels of teamwork to bring the school to a first-ever trip to the NorCal "Final Four." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The basketball team </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">played with tremendous heart and resilience. Their achievement </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">can be measured in several ways. For instance, they won more games than any basketball team in school history. They scored 1,308 points and made 462 assists (another school record). With five players on the court at a time, they achieved <b>1,775</b> (that is, <b>5 + </b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1,308 + 462</b>). The <b>1,775</b> represents not only their accomplishment but also the amazing connection they had with each other. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Similarly, there are lots of numbers in this week’s Torah portion. Its name, Pekudei, could be translated as "audit" or “accounting.” In it, Moses accounts for and recounts the collection and donation of silver and other precious materials used to construct the Tabernacle in the wilderness. </span></div>
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</div><a href="https://rabbiruben.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-journey-of-connection-pekudei-5779.html#more">READ MORE »</a>Rabbi Howard Jacoby Rubenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08402762889419647574noreply@blogger.com0