Unmasking the Mysterious Dr. X: Wrestling Toward the Light (Vayislach 5777)

When I was nine years old my uncle took me to a wrestling match in a car dealership parking lot. Until that evening, in my mind wrestlers were real costumed superheroes -- battling forces of evil and darkness. That view was shattered when my uncle ushered us 'backstage' to meet the mysterious Dr. X. Wow!

In the ring, he was mysterious and fierce. But backstage he was an ordinary guy -- a really big, sweaty, ordinary guy. He wore no mask. He sat in a folding chair. As I waited for his autograph, the man behind the mask mystery was talking to another wrestler. They were deciding which of them would "win" the next bout. Huh!?! 

Wrestling is faked?!? 'No way,' I thought. But the evidence was clear. I was devastated. 

Dr. X comes to mind often when reading this week's Torah portion, Vayishlach.

When Competing Worldviews Collide: Rebecca's Response (Toledot 5777)

The 2016 presidential election reflects the collision of two competing worldviews. It is an awe-inspiring conflict leaving some angry and confused about what it means for them and their values. Others are elated and confident about what it means for them and their values. And others are not sure what to think or feel. The aftermath of the election is prompting existential questions for many of us about what we value and how we stand up to others whose values differ from our own. 

This week's Torah portion begins with similar existential questions. It also offers insight and raises questions about how one might respond to this type of collision.

Bending the Long Arc of History (U.S. Presidential Election 2016)

Pictured at right: "We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Martin Luther King, Jr. 1968

Here is the message I shared with students and educators at JCHS during an all-school gathering earlier today:

For nearly all of us something completely unexpected has happened. In response many of us are crying, angry, frustrated, or confused. Many others are celebrating, excited, hopeful, or emboldened. Completely unexpected.

Early this morning as I talked with Chanita (our young niece who now lives with us), I reassured her that there are many good people on both sides of the difficult campaign for president.

The Tower of Babel Turned Upside Down (Noach 5777)

"Tower of Babel" by Theodor 'Dr. Seuss' Geisel

This week Jewish Community High School of the Bay (JCHS)  honored Hispanic Heritage Month (deferred for us a few days because of the Jewish holidays). Our students were inspired to hear from classmates and educators about their Hispanic heritage made them feel special and what made them feel different. 

One feature discussed by the panel was the variety and number of languages embraced by the term Hispanic heritage." As I young person I knew only one language. Only later did I study Spanish and Hebrew. One helped me to feel part of one community and the other a different community. (More on diversity in language below.)  

I confess, however, that mostly in junior high school I feared standing out by seeming different. It is a common teen fear. I just wanted to fit in or, even better, disappear. I learned over time to treasure what makes me different and what makes others' differences so valuable.

Your Ears So Big You Make Dumbo Jealous (Yom Kippur 5777)

"Your ears so big, you make Dumbo jealous." Or "Your ears so small, you can't hear when people insult you." Or "Your ears aren't so big ... for a basset hound." These are the kinds of casual insults you hear on a school yard (or, this year, on the presidential campaign). 

Given the features on my face, I received my share of insults in school, such as: "Is that your nose, or a ski jump?" And "Is that your nose, or did someone park a blimp on your face?"

Sure these make us chuckle, but they aren't funny.

Dreaming of the Year Ahead: Essential Lessons From Shimon Peres z"l (Rosh Hashanah 5777)

At this season, the Jewish new year (“Rosh Hashanah”) exhorts us to dream big. It is a time to reflect on the year that has ended and to dedicate ourselves toward returning to the best of ourselves, deepening relationships that are dear to us, meeting the profound needs of others, and reaching the highest ideals of Torah. Those are huge aspirations. The juxtaposition this weekend of the Friday funeral for Shimon Peres, former prime minister and president of Israel, the Saturday Torah reading, and the start of Rosh Hashanah on Sunday night call to mind powerful lessons about these aspirations.

Shimon Peres believed deeply in the power of dreams and imagination. He said, “We should use our imagination more than our memory.” Using our imagination more than our memories is precisely what this Jewish season is about. We don’t discard our memories; we use them to animate our aspirations. We reflect on the year that is ending -- through our memories -- in order to inspire our dreams for the year ahead -- our imagination.

The Ultimate Selfie: Judging Oneself (Shoftim 5776)

Think for a moment about the screen image you see looking at your smiling face about to snap a selfie. Now compare that first, screen image to the actual photo that gets stored when you snap the selfie. Both are you; but they are not exactly the same!

The first screen image is reversed in the saved photo image. The first image is just like looking at yourself in the mirror. The saved image is the reverse. The first image is the one we know best; it is the most familiar to us. We've been looking at it for years. 

But other people see us in reverse. They see, in effect, the saved photo image. We see the mirror image; we've conditioned ourselves to see it whenever we brushed our teeth or adjusted ourselves in front of a mirror.