SUMMER 2005 Once again, it is this time of the year when many of us take off for a well deserved vacation. But at the same time we Jews commemorate during these three weeks the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the subsequent exile that took our people through history and throughout most of the countries of the world. We remember the destruction of the Temple and the lesson we can draw from such a tragic event. The Talmud states that the first Temple was destroyed because our ancestors engaged in the terrible sins of immorality, bloodshed, and idolatry. However, the second Temple was destroyed because of Sin’ at Hinam, free hatred, or as I like to translate because of the collapse or human relations, the loss of decency and widespread selfishness. We are Am Haham Venabon “a wise and intelligent people” so we have to learn the lessons. The first Temple was rebuilt only a few decades after it’s destruction, but the second one has not yet been rebuilt almost two thousand years later… On another vein, I am very happy for the past four months in Ezra Bessaroth. We have had quite a number of very successful events, the second Sephardic Shabbaton jointly with our sister congregation Sephardic Bikur Holim was, again, a smashing success. The second day of the Shabbath my college Rabbi Benzaquen and I held the first “Ladies Only” holiday learning session. We could not believe our eyes when over seventy (70) ladies of all ages showed up for almost three hours of learning about the Book of Ruth and refreshments. The event was skillfully organized by Ilana Okrant (hats off!!) and we plan to have these sessions every second day of Yom-Tov (Pesah, Shabouth, and Succot). We are still engaged in the search for a full-time Youth Program Director for our synagogue. If you have any suggestions please contact me. Our wonderful Ladies Auxiliary has committed to continue baking every Monday and Thursday and taking care of our synagogue. They could do with some more help in order to ensure their continuity and to continue having the world renowned Bazaar in our synagogue. A more than well deserved ‘Hazah Ubaruh’ to them. Camp this year was especially successful (well done!) our kids had a marvelous experience, great counselors, and excellent guidance by Gail Ben Meir and Ben Arouson. All this and much more behind the scenes tells me that Ezra Bessaroth is a great synagogue and everyone of it’s members is special because they care for eachother and for this unique institution. I have learned over the past few years that the members of Ezra Bessaroth will always be ready to do anything to preserve what was built by their ancestors, with respect for the Torah, love for each other, and generosity. These traits are precisely real antidotes for the faults of our ancestors that led to the destruction of the second Temple. With G-d’s help such people will pave the way for the rebuilding of the Bet Ha Mikdash and the better times of Mashiah. In the meantime, I wish you all a happy Summer and hope to keep serving you at Kal. Bibraha |
| CHANUKA 2006 Last year the two Sephardic synagogues in Seattle organized two Shabbatonim around the theme of “Sephardic Response to Modern Challenges”. The Shabbatonim were a great success, over 200 people attended on each occasion and the lectures and discussion arose the interest of the audience. Basically, what was said there was that it is a culture that grants a group an identity and it is the awareness, knowledge, and commitment to the culture that makes the group withstand the greatest challenges posed by time and mobility. The Sepharadim are direct heirs to an extraordinary culture which encompasses a lot more than the culinary taste for typical food and the folklore generally associated with the Ladino dialect. The Sephardic culture is really a very unique way of life which flourished during the Middle Ages in Spain, a country which allowed for the three monotheistic religions to coexist next to one another. Though one has to admit, it was not always a peaceful coexistence. It was in Spain where most of the Rabbinic literature that has marked our Jewish way of life was produced: HALACHA (religious legislation), KABBALA (mysticism), DIKDUK (Hebrew grammar), Philosophy, Poetry, etc…fully developed there to an extent with no parallel in any other community. Beyond all of that, it was in Spain and in the places in which the Sepharadim settled after the expulsion of 1492, where the cosmopolitan nature of the Sephardic character was nurtured. A character based on the notorious Golden Path (SHVIL HAZAHAB) where there was no room for extremism of any kind. Where the ideal Jew was one who fully integrated in the general society, and impacted it with the ethic and moral values of the Torah while maintaining an ever stronger fidelity to the traditional observance of our religion, both at home and in our synagogues and community centers. I grew up in Melilla, a Spanish enclave in North Africa. When I was a boy in my early teen years there were about 1,500 Jews out of a total population of 80,000 people. While acknowledging that there were the typical community problems and that our challenges as a community were not the same as those faced by others, I do not recall any talk about inclusiveness or tolerance there because not one Jew ever felt rejected by the community, regardless of their level of observance. There was never any discussion about Zionism, because we all saw modern Israel as the materialization of a two thousand year old national dream. There was one Kashruth certification, the one issued by the local Rabbi (my late father-in-law, R. Moshe Beuguigui Z.L.) There was study of Torah and vivid discussions in the twelve small synagogues which existed in those days, but these only led to more community unity and more respect for our teachers and Rabbis. The community was basically a poor one, however, the three strongest institutions in the city were the Hebra Kadisha (brotherhood), the Talmud-Torah, and the Kuppat OZER DALIM (Fund to Help the Needy). Divisions into orthodox, reform, and etc, did not exist; we were all simply Jews. With regards to the gentiles, we enjoyed a warm and friendly relationship with all of them based not on tolerance but on respect for one another’s beliefs and customs. Melilla is the example I know best, just like Rhodes, Salonika, Izmir, or any of the many communities around the world which, in spite of the hardship of exile, managed to flourish after the infamous expulsion of 1492. When the first Jews from Rhodes arrived in Seattle about one hundred years ago, the first institution they created was KUPPAT OZER DALIM DE ANSHE RODOS; “The fund to help the needy of the young men from Rhodes” in order to help fellow Jewish immigrants settle and start their new life in this modern age haven. Which is what the USA became for millions fleeing the craziness, wars, and persecutions in Europe. We are now in the days of Hanukkah , which is an encounter with our past, as we celebrate we must learn for the future: The war of the Maccabees was really a spiritual struggle to preserve the integrity of the Jewish way of life without foreign imposition. Free of external influences, loyal to the Torah and it’s dictates, based on the traditions of our ancestors. The threat was not from the Greek enemies, the real threat came from the Hellenistic Jews who professed more respect and admiration for the new waves of modernity than for the ways and values they received from the previous generations. The ideological and religious division and confrontation between Jews was then, just as it is today, the greatest menace to our people. These are some of the reflections that lead me to believe that in the present Jewish world we, the Sepharadim who barely constitute seven percent of the total Jewish population of 5.5 million in this country, have a great contribution to make American Jewry in particular and to society in general. This is why, together with my colleague Rabbi Benzaquen, and with the help of a group of courageous individuals, we are launching the idea of creating a center for Sephardic culture and community life. To learn, to practice, and to teach that which is so needed today: the true spirit of Sepharad and it’s great way of life. Rabbi Salomon Cohen-Scali Congregation Ezra Bessaroth ***************************************************** RABBI COHEN'S HIGH HOLIDAY MESSAGE FOR 5767 I write this article on the 23rd of August, a day before Rosh Hodesh Elul (the month of spritual preparation before the High Holidays) while I am enjoying the last few days of summer vacation. It is now, just before sunset, I am sitting down at the terrace at my brother’s apartment in Malaga. The terrace is right in front of the sea and I am looking over at the blue shining waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The sun is about to sink below the horizon and there is a pleasant sea breeeze stirring the air. Spain is beautiful this time of year. The weather, the children playing in the street, the birds flying over our heads, and the deep blue sea. There is also special feeling for a Jew when one things of the romantic memories of the long dreamt of Sepharad of the old, the peaceful co-existance with other religions and cultures, the golden age of Spanish Jewry when the greatest Rabbis, philosophers, and poest flourished in this same land where I am spending this time. However, this same spledid looking sea also reminds me of the many thousands who had to cross it, fleeing intolerance and persecution after the infamous edict of expulsions in 1492. Those Jews who reached all of the corners of this great sea from North Africa to the Greek islands and Turkey. These thoughts bring me back to reality and to see the similarities to the religious fanatism and intolerance that we experience today. A day before Rosh Hadesh Elul is time for reflection as we approach the end of the calendar year we are all embraced by a strange sense of mixed feelings. On one hand a sense of thankfulness for being alive and well for one more year, and at the same time, the insatisfaction and even to a certain degree the frustration resulting in the realization of how brief and fragile is our earthly existence. Again, this is the time of year to stop and think. A new Year is supposed to mean a new beginning. Saying goodbye to all that is negative and tied up to the past, a new beginning with the hope of improvement. A Spanish folk song says: “Tomorrow will always be better than yesterday.” Rosh Hashana is known to us as YOM HADIN, the Day of Judgement, a day for Divine Justice which is not like Human justice. It has the ability to make us aware that we are not alone, that G-d does not foresake His people, and does not allow it to sink in lack of hope or desperation. Rosh Hashana is also YOM HAZIKARON, the day in whish the Almighty remembers each and everyone of His creatures both collective and individually. It is a great feeling to know that we are important, wer are all remembered and taken into account. So durin gRosh Hashana we look at the immediate past, we reflect on it and make connection with the imminent future. We do so through the ten days of penitence (ASERET YEME YESHUBA) that leads us to Yom Kippur, The Day of Attonement. G-d, in His infinite mercy, forgives and gives a new chance, teaching us the greatest lesson possible. Yom Kippur is not only a day of forgiveness, it is also a time for encounters. We encounter our depper selves, we encounter others (the Rabbis clearly indicate that Yom Kippur has no effect with regards to sins committed to other human beings, unless we first obtain their pardon), and ultimetly we have an opportunity to encounter G-d. This is the real meaning of YAMIN NORIAM, the Days of Awe. Our awe should come as much as a result of missing such an opportunity another year. WE cannot just change the number in the calendar, it si supposed to be a change of ourselves, our habits, “Dedicate the right amount of time to the right things.” We also are to hope and pray that after the elevation of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur we arrive to the real meaning of Succot as we repeat in our prayer “UFROS ALAMU SUCAT SHELOMECHA – Spread over us the Succa of Your peae.” Let us all pray in unity and brotherhood for peace and safety in the land of Israel and here in America, this wonderful land that has been and continues to be such a heaven for us Jews. By the time I finish this article night has fallen over southern Spain, it is all ready very dark outside. I just hope this is only a coincidence and not a sign of what Spain and many other European countaries are turning to be for us Jews. I am faxing this to Jennifer to be included in the Clarion, but Raquel, the children, and I cannot wait to be back with you in Seattle and great each and every one of you personally at Kal during the holidays. Anyada buena y dulce, ****************************************** Tu B’shvat: New Year for the Trees By Rabbi Salomon Cohen-Scali Monday the 13th of February we celebrate Tu B’Shevat The Mishna in Tractate Rosh-Hashanah says: “There are four New Years: One on the first of Nissan is the New Year for Kings and for the festivals. On the first of Elul is the New Year for the maaser of animals. On the first of Tishrei is the New Year for reckoning the years, for the shemittah and Yovel years, for the sapling and for the vegetables. On the first of Shevat is the New Year for the tree according to the opinion of Beis Shammai. However, Beis Hillel says it is on the fifteenth of Shevat.” So, according to this Mishna the 15th of Shevat is the New Year for the Trees. However, the first testimonies about the custom of eating (dried) fruit is from the 16th century. A custom which developed in Europe and was brought to the land of Israel by the Kabbalists from Spain and Portugal. The Great Kabbalists of Tzfat (Safed) developed greatly this holiday. Especially the famous Ari Hakadosh Z.L. who fixed for this day a Seder (order) to rejoice with Nature and the trees. “They would gather around the table covered in white, full of fruits and decorated with flowers. They would drink four cups of wine (white and red) and then they would recite chapters of the Bible, the Talmud, and the Zohar related to the different fruits. Verses related to the “final redemptions” were added and prayers would be said for the well being of Nature in general and of the trees in particular.” (see blessings beginning on page 8) Rabbi Hayyin Vittal, disciple of the Ari Hakadosh, developed and explained this Seder further in his acclaimed work “The Etz Hayim”. Recently with the resurgence of Jewish flourishing communities in our beloved land of Israel; the pioneers in tune with the need of the times, as they found a barren and desolate land, the great challenge was to “conquer this desolation”. They initiated the custom of planting different types of trees... Already from the time of the first Aliya in the year 1885 in the Yessod Hama’ale Moshava they did the first act of planting trees in modern Israel. In Israel (among the Jews) Tu B’Shevat has become a symbol of our love and care for our natural environment. The Israel Ministry of Education declared it formally as the National Nature Care Day. Different Sephardic Communities have developed different Minhagim for this day. In Izmir the custom was to gather all of the children and together recite 15 chapters of Salmos. The head of the family would recite a blessing over the wheat bread and the wife would recite a blessing over the grape and raisins as a sign of fruitful-ness. The boys would bless the olives as a symbol of spiritual continuity, and the girls would bless the nuts and pomegranate as a symbol of modesty and beauty. In Babylonia (Iraq) the community would organize the “blessing for the trees” from the beginning of the month of Shevat. The synagogues organized outings in the fields where they would spend the whole day in what they call “Tafikia El Sgar : The Flourishing of the Trees. In India the Jews used to celebrate this day as the day of Elijah The Prophet. An ancient Indian Jewish tradition tells of Elijah revealing himself in a remote village on the 15th of Shevat. This is the reason they recite the same psalms as we do on Motza'ei Shabbat. Jews in Syria used to gather in the synagogues for the recitation of the Ten Commandments on the eve of Tu B’Shevat. The Sephardim (ladino speaking) of Jerusalem would visit the graves of the Sanhedrim and of Shimon Hatzadik. They would also go to the orchards and spend the day in the shadow of the trees. The Kabbalists in Safed used to go to Mount Meron to the cave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai and pick cherubs (St. John’s Bread) from the trees there. In Persia is was known as the Festival of the “Consuegros” because it was traditional for the in- laws to send each other baskets of fruits. Here at Ezra Bessaroth we combine many traditions by eating at least 15 types of fruit, starting with those of the land of Israel in biblical times. Our children recite the passages of Shir Hashirin (Song of Songs) in Hebrew, English, and Ladino. And we always enjoy a festive meal together with all of the members of the congregation. The Torah compares people to the trees of the field. May HaShem bless our land, our trees, and, above all, all of us with peace. Amen. |