HaKol
The Voice of the
Pelham Jewish Center
June 2023/ISivan-Tammuz 5783
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Leadership Messages
Rabbi Benjamin Resnick
Education Director
Ana Turkienicz
HaKol Editor
Barbara Saunders-Adams
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Congregant News
& Donations
PJC 2023 Gala
Andrea Rothberg
Book Notes
Barbara Saunders-Adams
Food For Thought
Share a Simcha
Tributes & Donations
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Dear Friends,
As summer draws near our daily routines will change. For those of us whose lives are tied in one way or another to the academic calendar–whether through our own work or through our children–this change will be quite pronounced. But even for those of us who are not, summer promises adjustments to new or new-ish rhythms. The pace of work may slow. Places that we love and rely on (like shuls) will be more sparsely populated. Lots of friends and loved ones will “get away.” There will be a shift, subtle or maybe not-so-subtle. As Paul Simon observed many years ago,
“Ju-une, she’ll change her tune.”
On the subject of changing routines–and on the subject of taking a break from vocation–the Talmud (Brachot 35b) records a fascinating disagreement between two second century rabbis, Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The Sages ask, “What is the meaning of the verse in the Shemah that states, “You shall gather your grain? "
Rabbi Yishmael, responding to their question, says that verse is meant to qualify another verse, which states, “The words of Torah should never leave your lips.” His concern is that absent a specific injunction to gather grain one might (erroneously) interpret the second verse to mean that one should literally never stop studying. Therefore the Torah includes both, reminding us that Torah study must be accompanied by a rich engagement with the world more broadly (הַנְהֵג בָּהֶן מִנְהַג דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ).
His colleague, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai disagrees. Responding to Rabbi Yishmael, he exclaims, “If you plow when it’s time to plow and sow when it’s time to sow and harvest when it’s time to harvest and thresh when it’s time to thresh and winnow when it’s time to winnow, what will become of the Torah?!” When we are doing what we are supposed to be doing–i.e. dedicating ourselves to Torah study–others will gather our grain for us, as Isaiah says, “Foreigners shall be your plowmen.” But when we are lax we will have to do all the hard labor ourselves. His point, though harsh, is likewise salient. Life is full of distractions. And if we don’t really set our priorities then our priorities will inevitably languish.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot as my family and I prepare to head off to Israel for most of July. In keeping with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, not all of this time will be vacation. I have a variety of things that I hope to accomplish while I’m there–both professionally and personally–and I’ll be spending a portion of the month studying at the Shalom Hartman Institute with colleagues from around the country and around the world. I’m excited about all that and I’m looking forward to it. But, with equal fervor, I am also looking forward to spending some time doing nothing in particular. I’m looking forward to the rest. I’m looking forward to not writing a HaKol article, much as I enjoy writing them.
Regarding the propriety of taking a break from Torah study--or taking a break in general–the Talmud doesn’t exactly render an opinion. However, immediately following the dispute between Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the Talmud includes a terse statement from a later sage, Abaye. “Many people,” he says, “acted in accordance with Rabbi Yishmael and were elevated. Many people acted in accordance with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and were not.” While the dispute between Yishmael and Shimon bar Yochai is not exactly about vacations (it’s about whether or not one should stop studying Torah in order to attend to more mundane tasks) it touches on something broader about how we ought to move through life. And the implication of Abaye’s statement seems to be that while constant assiduousness may be a value in the abstract, it is not really consonant with a productive and fulfilling life.
I share all this in large part because, in many respects, I find myself drawn to the way of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. I don’t and never have learned Talmud eighteen hours a day. But–as Philissa will attest–I am rather intense about my work, sometimes to a fault. I don’t like feeling unproductive and I find it difficult to really take breaks. Still, I need to. We need to. The summer need not be entirely devoid of the rapids. But wherever the next several weeks take you, I hope you find a way to experience those places where the river slows and widens and moves along languidly.
Brachot,
R. Benjamin Resnick
Ben
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Education Director
Ana Turkienicz
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“On the day that the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Pact; and in the evening it rested over the Tabernacle in the likeness of fire until morning. It was always so: the cloud covered it, appearing as fire by night. And whenever the cloud lifted from the Tent, the Israelites would set out accordingly; and at the spot where the cloud settled, there the Israelites would make camp.” (Numbers, 9:15-17)
As I write these lines, we are coming out of a three day period in which a cloud of dust covered New York; a scene that hasn’t been seen here or elsewhere in the world. And - you can’t make these things up - the Torah portion we read in this same week, B’haalotecha, has the verses I quoted above: describing the Israelites getting ready for their big stretch in the wilderness, as they dedicate their new portable Sanctuary, the Mishkan, a big cloud covered the Tabernacle. The cloud was a sign for the Israelites to stay in camp, stationary, not to move. Exactly as we did - we remained indoors while the cloud of dust rested over New York and Westchester. We looked outside, to the yellow skies, smelled the smoky scent that the Northern winds brought to us from Canada, and wondered if this was a preview of the days of Apocalypse. I kept recalling the many science fiction movies we’ve watched in which the air was deemed too toxic to breathe and everyone had to walk around with masks. It wasn’t a movie anymore, it was here, all around us.
On that same day - again- we can’t make these things up - I received an email from the coordinator of the Jewish Youth Climate Movement NY, (JYCM) who was reaching out on behalf of one of our teens, Hannah Steinberg. Hannah would like to open a chapter of JYCM in Pelham, and the coordinator and I had a long talk about how we can make it happen (we will).
On the same day!!! On one hand - the Earth's climate gives us a loud wake up call in the form of a huge biblical cloud resting on our big apple Tent - and exactly at the same time, as we are about to descend into a spiral of despair - a pillar of fire shows up - our youth - our hope. As the prophet Leonard Cohen used to say - “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”.
We can’t make these things up - I am always in awe of how much our Torah reflects and informs our lives. It reads, “It was always so: the cloud covered it, appearing as fire by night.” Indeed, on the night of Wednesday, June 7, 2023, the night sky looked like fire. The moon was red, and the air was thick with dust. We closed our windows and went inside, thinking - how long will it stay like this? Is this the new normal? Are we back to wearing masks? Questions that I imagine our ancestors in the wilderness were asking themselves as they looked up to the cloud and waited for a Divine sign that it was okay for them to move again. The pillar of fire showed them their destination, the Promised Land, where they would live as a nation, free from slavery. The pillar of fire was their hope.
Our pillar of fire is our youth, our children, our teens. The phone call I had with the JYCM on that same Wednesday filled my heart with hope. Our youth is a step ahead of us. They are mobilizing, reaching out, leading us out of the wilderness into a better world - where we can perhaps try to combat the damage we have done to our nature.
On Thursday night, that same week, Steve Martin, the President of the PJC Board of Directors of 2022-2023 met the board for the last time before passing on the leadership to our next president, Lisa Neubardt. I also thought about the pillar of fire standing against the cloud as I reflected on the wisdom and clarity with which Steve Martin led the PJC throughout the past year. This was the third time Steve Martin led our community, navigating the stormy times of post-pandemic recuperation, helping us transition into our new normal - a vibrant and healthy community, where our children and teens are safe to grow and shine their bright lights. In that same week, we celebrated two other important leaders in our community, Dr. David Haft and Mitch Cepler, our Gala honorees. We are so grateful for their leadership and generosity. With so much light and hope around us, who’s afraid of clouds of dust?
And talking about our children, our hope, I would like to share here their answers to the survey we ran on the last day of school at the Learning Center. We asked our 3rd-6th graders (our Lomdim B’Yachad class) about their year at the LC. We were delighted to receive the children’s responses. I would like to share their responses verbatim; for one of the questions, “What was your favorite thing about the LC?”
The children wrote: “Morah Amy”, “the teachers and kids”, “My favorite thing about the LC itself is that it has a playground” , “My favorite thing was making new friends.” ,“That it gave me something to do after school, and also the teachers”, “The Art and the Cooking classes”, “The teachers and the classes.” “I love every part of it, I can’t decide.”, “The people inside because they are nice.”, “That I can see friends.” , “My friends”. Friends, teachers, people, learning. Something to lean on and feel you are part of a community, you belong.
And with that, our cloud of dust went away. Shabbat met us with blue skies, so we can read from the Torah about Parashat B'haalot'cha how our ancestors dealt with uncertainty and frightening times. How they dealt with their unknown future and the challenges of the wilderness. As we grapple with the big questions about our future, let us not forget our past, and look into the present, the bright eyes of our children and teens, who with their own very unique way insist in being our source of everlasting hope and joy.
Wishing all our families a safe and wonderful summer, full of meaningful learning experiences and invigorating nature walks. Be safe! We can’t wait to have our children back at the Learning Center in the Fall!
With much gratitude,
Ana
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HaKol Editor
Barbara Saunders-Adams
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Dear Friends,
We are approaching the end of our 5783 season. It's been my pleasure to share HaKol with you. I hope you have enjoyed reading our monthly magazine. I will continue to edit & write HaKol in 5784 after a summer break. I welcome any comments, criticisms or suggestions for the 5784 Hakol. I would also love your contributions. If you have an idea for an article about what's happening at the PJC, around Pelham, or want to offer an idea for the Food For Thought column, please contact me at
madamadam1955@gmail.com
Have a wonderful summer!
Barbara
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It was a packed house.
Thanks to the efforts of PJC Fundraising Chair Jessica Winquist and her team, the 2023 PJC Gala was a resounding success.
Guests at the synagogue enjoyed the delicious desserts and there was much lively chatting at the tables spread about the room.
Several speakers rose to talk admiringly of our honorees. Rabbi Resnick led the festivities. Rabbi extolled David Haft’s leadership during difficult times at the PJC and complimented Mitch Cepler’s firm hand on our financial “till,” as well as his sage counsel.
David Haft’s medical partner spoke about David’s lifelong dedication to healing and Mitch himself professed his devotion to the PJC.
Marjut Herzog- last year’s gala honoree - handed out New York State Proclamations as a tribute to David and to Mitch. And, to round out the evening, a magician performed - delighting all guests.
A marvelous time was had by all and the PJC exceeded its fundraising goal for the event. Bravo!
Andrea Rothberg
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Woman on Fire
by Lisa-Barr
Woman on Fire has all the ingredients of a good thriller. Barr’s protagonist is an ambitious and beautiful, young journalist, Jules Roth, covering an international art scandal centered around a Nazi-looted masterpiece. The villain is a stunning and well-known art gallery owner with psychotic tendencies, Margaux de Laurent, whose grandfather once saved the artist Ernst Engel’s last painting, Woman on Fire from Nazi clutches. The painting was hidden for decades in the apartment of the son of a Nazi collector of “degenerate art” who is murdered while the paintings are stolen.
Laced with rapid-fire twists and turns, this tale of deception, lust, Nazi-looted art, and murder sizzles in Lisa Barr’s capable hands. Part thriller, part World War II epic, part journey through the pain of loss, Woman on Fire is as vibrant and searing a work as the art it revolves around. It’s hard to put this book down, even though the characters appear too beautiful and too clever. Nevertheless, I eagerly anticipated picking up Woman on Fire at every opportunity.
Barbara
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Budapest
by Billy Collins
My pen moves along the page
like the snout of a strange animal
shaped like a human arm
and dressed in the sleeve of a loose green sweater.
I watch it sniffing the paper ceaselessly,
intent as any forager that has nothing
on its mind but the grubs and insects
that will allow it to live another day.
It wants only to be here tomorrow,
dressed perhaps in the sleeve of a plaid shirt,
nose pressed against the page,
writing a few more dutiful lines
while I gaze out the window and imagine Budapest
or some other city where I have never been.
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"Share a Simcha" allows congregants to share their news with our PJC community. Please submit news about family members -- engagements, births, job updates, kid achievements, community acknowledgements and any other milestones -- to the HaKol Editor, Barbara Saunders-Adams.
. Mazal Tov to Melanie Stern and Zach Ehrenreich on the birth of their granddaughter, Lily Faye Orel - Hebrew - Elka, Dinah after (Melanie & Zach's mothers) to parents
Benjamin Ehrenreich & Rebecca Orel.
. Mazal Tov to Sam Adams & Barbara Saunders-Adams on the engagement of their daughter, Shira Ronit Adams to Olivia Garrity.
. Mazal Tov to Rebecca Schwarz on her collaboration with PMS eighth graders to create
a beautiful and complex mural of Pelham Manor.
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Share a Simcha is a regular HaKol feature, so keep your news and updates coming!
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Donations to the PJC from...
- Patricia Levinson In memory of Michael Turner
- Hildy and Steve Martin In memory of Michael Turner
- David and Jeanne Radvany In memory of Michael Turner
- Barbara Saunders-Adams in memory of Michael Turner
- Mark Walfish In honor of of Efrem Sigel's 80th birthday
- Mark Walfish In honor of Efrem and Frederica Sigel's 55th anniversary
- Beth and Neil Yelsey In memory of of their step-mother
Billing statements are emailed monthly.
Checks made out to the Pelham Jewish Center can be mailed to Pelham Jewish Center, P.O. Box 418, Montvale, NJ 07645. Credit card payment instructions are on your monthly emailed billing statement, or go to https://thepjc.shulcloud.com/member.
If you are interested in paying via appreciated securities or IRA distributions, please email Mitch Cepler.
It is the policy of the Pelham Jewish Center to make every effort to assist members experiencing financial challenges. Financial challenges should never be a barrier to being an active member of the PJC community. You can reach out to President Steve Martin, Treasurer Mitchell Cepler or Rabbi Benjamin Resnick to speak confidentially concerning your ability to pay PJC dues and Learning Center tuition.
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