Rabbi Marshall

While some might scoff at presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s aspirations to colonize the moon, there are many congregants in our Temple Beth Or k’hilah who see great possibility in this endeavor. Consider the potential for new members on earth’s satellite. Think of the outreach to unaffiliated families this new frontier could provide!

The ORacle, March 2012 Purim Issue

I have been in closed session Board meetings but now want to share a few of our most promising ideas. Our goal is to start fundraising for a “Temple Beth Or satellite” this Purim. Our previous Capital Campaign goal has almost been reached, and we are ready to jump into a new development project at once. One secret contact mentioned that the abandoned Russian space station could be bought for a dollar—what a wonderful way to continue our tradition of bargain buildings!

At this year’s Wine Dinner (March 3 — mark your calendars), Wicked Cellars will donate 10% of all wine sales to the Temple Beth Or satellite. They even brought up the idea of selling moonshine, but I thought that might be pushing it.

L’Dor V’dor, from Generation to Generation, is a Jewish value of paramount importance for this Temple. In that vein, we will be bringing Billy Sturman’s apple tree with us in our first rocket trip and planting it when we unveil our new building. If you wish to purchase a plaque or bench, please be in touch with our Fundraising Chair. Some expressed gravitational concerns about keeping the tree firmly nestled in the moon’s dust, but Michael Cross and Paul Vexler have agreed to look into it.

There are, however, numerous positives about the moon’s climate and structural makeup. One of our most compelling reasons to move to the moon is that there is no air or wind—we won’t ever have to worry about candles catching fire to furniture or carpets in the sanctuary…imagine the potential Havdalah celebrations!

The Rosh Chodesh group and I have been speaking about the power behind celebrating each new month on the moon. As you know, the Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar cycle, and women’s cycles are also based on the lunar phases. Envision the privilege of reciting the blessing for the new month while standing in a crater! Deborah Nedelman has already volunteered to host our first gathering.

Some of you may be concerned on a practical level about the logistics of two Temple Beth Or campuses. Rest assured, Terri Schweigert, our office maven, has agreed to take rocketship rides to staff the new office every other week, and Vicky Romero will edit the Temple Beth Or satellite newsletter which will be called The Lunacle.

Purim Sameach!
Rabbi Jessica Kessler Marshall

Washington State recently passed its Marriage Equality Bill legalizing same-sex marriage. In the media coverage of state Senate debates, we heard from congresspersons who couldn’t reconcile their religious convictions against homosexuality, with legalizing same-sex marriage. How is it possible that religious concerns dictate the legal structure of a secular institution?

The ORacle, February 2012 Issue

I spoke two weeks ago about how our Jewish texts support loving unions including homosexual ones. But that argument was within a Jewish context. I want to question today how it is acceptable that religious arguments are included in the public policy debate over same-sex marriage? Using religious texts to preclude a group of people from a civil institution is unconstitutional and a blatant violation of the separation of church and state.^[1]

As I started my research on why religious arguments should be kept out of politics, what should I find? That as a matter of theology and community relations, Jews have championed the relevance of religious discussion in political discourse. 

In one of our siddurim, prayer books, the Sabbath Prayer for Our Country prays that God will teach our nation’s leaders “insights of Your Torah, that they may administer all affairs of state fairly, that peace and security, happiness and prosperity, justice and freedom may forever abide in our midst.”  Many of us feel it is desirable for religious groups to advocate policies that fulfill those groups’ ideals of a just society.

John Kennedy quotes Isaiah, swearing in his second presidential oath that, “the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.’  He implored both sides ‘to undo the heavy burdens . . . (and) let the oppressed go free’ before closing by ‘asking God’s blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.’   Martin Luther King, Jr. used the Exodus story as a metaphor for the civil rights movement. 

And so I modify my earlier view. It is unrealistic to expect people to approach public issues independent of their religious values, especially for those for whom religion plays a crucial part in shaping their identity.[2]  But how can our discourse and reasoning be done in a way that embraces our country’s religious diversity?

Those who believe that God designates specific acts as either right or wrong may be propelled by a certainty which entertains no possibility of error.  Such a position of infallibility makes reasoned political discourse impossible.  As Joel K. Goldstein, constitutional law scholar argues, how can we dialogue with someone who believes they hold a trump card from God?[3] 

Instead, what if we use the conception of God presented in Genesis—the Eternal as a common parent who creates humans in the divine image, b’tzelem Elohim.  This idea suggests the equality, dignity and interrelatedness of all human beings and leaves no space for a fundamentalist view of one dominant truth.  Even if one believes that God’s word is final, the fundamentalist errs in assuming they have received and understood that word more perfectly than others.   As Goldstein clarifies, invoking God cannot operate as an ace in the hole.  Religious discourse can contribute to political discussion IF it is presented as human interpretations and applications of religious teachings. 

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As we consider the issue of religious arguments for and against marriage equality, one of the most salient issues arising from prohibiting same-sex marriage and denying its validity, is the creation of a group of second class citizens. By keeping same-sex couples out of marriage, the government suggests that one sexual orientation is right and another is wrong.

We must work to legitimize religious diversity with respect to civil rights issues.   The array of religious beliefs is an American strength, but when a set of religious beliefs results in the restriction of the civil rights of gay people, we are commanded to stand up and fight for equality. And the concern of merging religion and politics is not only in regard to Christian fundamentalists. The right-wing Orthodox movement in Israel is attacking the rights and freedoms of women and girls in Israeli society.  These include attempting to force gender segregation on buses in the Haredi community, the removal of photos of women from advertisements, and violence directed at young girls with the opening of a Modern Orthodox girls’ school, destroying the car of a secular Jewish woman, social pressure forcing women to board buses from the back and to sit in the back of the buses, barring women from appearing in public events, and placing women at professional conferences behind partitions or in another room. Ultra-Orthodox oppression of women goes against Israeli freedom and democracy regardless of gender. Just as progressive Jews have demanded that the Israeli government uphold the values upon which the State of Israel was founded and preserve the rights of all its citizens, we Americans must also not allow narrow interpretations of scripture to deny full equality to our citizens. How can we as humans presume to speak for God; God, that which we call the Mystery?

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the North Carolina NAACP captured it well when he said, “A vote on the same sex marriage amendment has nothing to do with your personal opinion on same sex marriage but everything to do with whether or not you believe discrimination should be codified and legalized constitutionally.”[4]

This week’s parsha, Terumah, instructs the Israelites to create a mishkan, a tabernacle, so that the Eternal may dwell amongst the people. Today, we construct our mishkan out of the equality, dignity and interrelatedness of all human beings. May our Jewish ideals of b’tzelem Elohim, the entirety of human creation being in the image of the Eternal, continue to inspire our fight for tzedek, justice. And as we celebrate America’s religious diversity may we enable others to unite with this sacred ideal.

Ken y’hi ratzon, so may it be God’s will.

The other day I was at Trader Joes trying to decide whether it was better to buy organic green beans flown in from Mexico or local beans grown conventionally with pesticides. Should I buy cloth napkins or disposable napkins made from recycled paper?  Is it worse to fill up landfills with soiled paper or use water and electricity to clean cloth napkins? Do I choose chicken raised on a farm in Snohomish even if it’s not hormone-free?  Or order the wild salmon fresh-caught but transported from Alaska? How does the US Farm Bill effect hunger worldwide?

The ORacle, February 2012 Issue

The upcoming holiday of Tu B’shvat offers us an opportunity to immerse ourselves in these issues. Tu B’shvat began as a minor agriculture holiday to honor the beginning of the spring planting season. Today, we celebrate it as a Jewish Earth Day: giving thanks for the abundance of the Eternal’s creation and acknowledging our responsibility to care for the earth. Ecclesiastes reminds us, “One generation goes, another comes, but the earth remains the same forever.”

Please join us February 7^th for a community dinner and Tu B’shvat Seder. Together we will enjoy the seven species of Israel, “a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey” (Deuteronomy 8:8). As we join together over delicious food and song, we reflect on our relationship with nature in its physical and spiritual forms. But our celebration is also a call to action, asking us to examine our ecological footprint and make positive changes. As a sacred kehillah, community, we will learn and discuss Judaism’s call for personal responsibility, ethical food choices and sustainable living.

A few resources to get us started:

Education: Try Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma, the Grist Favorite Food Books of 2010, or Hazon’s The Jew and the Carrot blog: https://blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/.  

Make the Commitment: URJ’s Just Table, Green Table Biennial Initiative asks each of us to take action, one step at a time. Try cutting down on the amount of red meat you consume or making more environmentally conscience food choices when grocery shopping.

At Temple Beth Or: Be more conscious about using the compost bin after oneg or commit to carpooling to services or Religious School more often.

How can we make the lessons of Tu B’shvat–our responsibility to care for the earth and honor the foods of the season—personally relevant? Join us for singing, noshing, and meaningful discussion as we honor our faith, bodies, and our earth.

Im Brachot, With Blessings,

Rabbi Jessica Kessler Marshall

We draw closer to our sacred texts through the study of Hebrew, the language of Torah and Jewish liturgy.

I am delighted to announce that Temple Beth Or will be offering two adult Hebrew classes to congregants and community members in March-May, 2012. The desire for a Hebrew class was oft-expressed and I am glad we will now be able to meet this need.

The ORacle, January 2012 Issue

Our beginner class will be taught by Heidi Piel and will cover learning the alef, bet and basic Hebrew letter decoding. Heidi has been a member of Temple Beth Or for eight years. During that time she has dedicated herself to Jewish study, Jewish community, Jewish leadership and promoting Jewish education. She connected to these aspects of Jewish life while studying for her bat mitzvah just 6 years ago. She has served as Beth Or’s Social Justice Chair, Governing Board President, Adult Education Coordinator and currently teaches the b’nei mitzvah, Confirmation, and Jewish Learning, Jewish Living classes. She most recently completed instructing an adult beginning Hebrew class.

Our intermediate class will be taught by Jeremy Alk. This class will either cover prayer book competence or preparation for reading Torah depended on our particular class’ goals. A Jewish educator for over thirty years, Jeremy is a double Masters Degree recipient in Jewish Education and Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. He currently teaches the Hey/Vav/Zayin class at Temple Beth Or’s Religious School. Jeremy teaches adult education classes at various synagogues throughout the area, he also tutors adults and children in King and Snohomish County. He currently teaches the advanced and intermediate Biblical Hebrew classes at Congregation Bath Shalom, and he has had dozens of Bar and Bat Mitzvah students over the years. This intermediate class can be used as a stepping stone to those seeking an adult b’nai mitzvah and can prepare congregants to become service leaders and Torah readers.

Registration information for the classes will be available at the end of January, stay tuned for details.

May this class be one part of our commitment to lifelong study. Through Torah study, in all its forms, we are called to mitzvot, the means by which we make our lives holy.

L’Shalom,

Rabbi Jessica Kessler Marshall

Havdalah is a favorite ritual of mine. The lights dim and we sway softly to the familiar melody, the light of the Havdalah candle reflected in each person’s eyes. The hiss of the candle’s flame as it meets the sweet wine reminds us of our opportunity each week to recommit ourselves to the people we seek to be in our highest moments. We welcome the week with our arms around each other singing “Shavuah Tov.” Together we begin anew with a foundation of community, a foundation of holiness.

The ORacle, November 2011 Issue

The theology behind the first Havdalah blessing, Henai el yeshuati, conveys a stirring message of the Eternal’s salvation. As Jews, we seek salvation from poverty, illness, and ignorance. As we exchange Shabbat with its foretaste of a world to come, for our profane world struggling to actualize this vision, we voice our hope for a future when Shabbat peace will be an everyday occurrence (for more see My People’s Prayerbook, Volume 7: Shabbat at Home).

Each ritual object has its own symbolic meaning. The Havdalah candle, perhaps is the most emblematic. It traditionally represents the light of Shabbat and humans’ ability to kindle fire on the 6^th day of creation. In it, I see a passionate flame for justice and the many ways Temple Beth Or works to realize the salvation for which we pray. From each b’nai mitzvah tikkun olam project, to building a fence at Housing Hope, to beach cleanups. All of you bring Torah into the world as you work towards tikkun olam, repair of the world, and in doing so, help bring nearer the messianic age we look to at the end of Havdalah. The words of Torah are truly translated into the works of your hands.

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I am very much looking forward to inviting all Temple Beth Or members to my home November 19^th to celebrate the end of Shabbat with a Havdalah service, and enjoy an evening filled with homemade desserts and a rousing song session led by our Temple Beth Or songleaders!

Our sing-along will include Hebrew and English songs, please bring your ruach! My home is not large, so prepare to be cozy. No need to bring anything, but I accept all dessert requests!   I so look forward to sharing Havdalah and singing together.

L’Shalom,

Our Temple Beth Or Sukkot celebration is always a spirited communal gathering filled with music, stories, and the beauty of the night sky above us. This year will be no exception—we will enjoy a Shabbat dinner hosted by the membership committee and then share Shabbat in our Sukkah.

The ORacle, October 2011 Issue

Praying in our Temple Sukkah is one lovely opportunity to celebrate the holiday, but our Torah commands, “You will dwell in booths for seven days; all natives of Israel shall dwell in booths.“ (Leviticus 23:42). Sukkot is a home-centered holiday, and I encourage us to each take personal possession of this holiday, not solely to rely on our synagogue for observance.

What if each family built theit own sukkah—sharing meals with family and neighbors each day and sleeping in it weather permitting? Imagine being about to personally experience the message of this festival each day? I recently read an article by Rabbi David Booth reminding us about Sukkot’s many teachings I would like to share. First, a sukkah has to be open to the world, letting in starlight and air. Sukkot reminds us that our homes must be open. Our forefather Abraham was known for his hospitality to those in need. Sukkot urges us to consider how we can be even more generous.

Second, the Talmud teaches that it is a mitzvah to invite your teacher into your sukkah. Learning together is transformative, it is the heart of Judaism. What if we each brought words of Torah to our Sukkot meal? The laws of Sukkot provide rich opportunities for interpretation. For instance, A sukkah must have at least two and a half walls covered with a material that will not blow away in the wind. Why two and a half walls? Think about the letters in the word “sukkah” (samech, kaf, hay) one letter has four sides, one has three sides and one has two and a half sides. Other great sources for Sukkot teachings include: Seasons of Our Joy by Arthur Waskow and Jewish Holidays by Michael Strassfeld.  

Third, our sukkah is open to the elements. This openness to the world reminds us of those who never have a roof over their heads, who cannot return to the comfort of their warm homes at the end of Sukkot. Sukkot reminds us to find compassion for others in need. Jewish Family Services offers resources each year through Project DVORA, their domestic violence outreach program. We will have their advocacy materials in our sukkah again this year. Cocoon House in Everett and other homeless shelters can always use our volunteer efforts. Halakically, legally, the etrog becomes worthless at the end of Sukkot—material possessions hold no lasting value. Lasting value is found in human connection and compassion.

At every evening service we say, “Praised are You Eternal, who spreads Your sukkah of peace over us.” As partners with the Divine, how can we each spread the sukkah of hospitality, learning, and compassion to those in our community this year?

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi explains the paradox of Elul with the following metaphor: The king’s usual place is in the capital city, in the royal palace. Anyone wishing to approach the king must go through the appropriate channels in the palace bureaucracy and gain the approval of a succession of royal secretaries and ministers. They must journey to the capital and pass through the many gates, corridors and antechambers that lead to the throne room. Their presentation must be meticulously prepared, and they must adhere to an exacting code of dress, speech and mannerism upon entering into the royal presence.

The ORacle, September 2011 Issue

However, there are times when the king comes out to the fields outside the city. At such times, anyone can approach the king; the king receives them all with a smiling face and a radiant countenance. The peasant behind his plow has access to the king in a manner unavailable to the highest ranking minister in the royal court when the king is in the palace. [Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 32b].

This Chasidic parable teaches us about the month of Elul, the Hebrew month before Rosh Hashana. This month is devoted to a careful examination of who we are. During Elul, we understand more deeply the ways we have failed—ourselves, each other, and the Eternal. Our introspection leads to remorse for the harm we have done, restitution when possible, and turning away from our past selves to better selves who will act differently in the coming year.

This parable recognizes the difficulty of teshuva–deep introspection and amending our ways, and teaches that during this time we possess greater accessibility to the Eternal. The Jewish soul yearns to sincerely turn inward and will, in turn, find Transcendent comfort within. While the image of the Eternal as King may not resonate with many of us, perhaps the conception of the Divine in the field, close to us as we go about our daily lives is valuable. This metaphor of approachability urges us to seize the opportunity for teshuva. As a guide, I highly recommend This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared by Rabbi Allan Lew. It ushers us from Elul through Yom Kippur providing a myriad of opportunities to connect with Jewish concepts and rituals.

As a community, we will also celebrate S’lichot on September 24^th. Our evening will begin with an oneg and Havdalah and move into a stirring candlelight service filled with haunting melodies which capture our fervent prayers as Rosh Hashanah approaches. I look forward to seeing you there, and may we all have the koach, the strength, to engage in true teshuva and enter the New Year liberated to be our best selves.

Teaching Torah begins with developing relationships, and this coming year at Religious School, my time with the students will focus on deepening our connections. Together, we will deepen our understanding of theology and, spirituality, and through this lens, explore Jewish identity. Therefore during my time with the students, we will examine feelings about God and what being Jewish means to them.

The ORacle, July-August 2011 Issue

For the past two years, I fit my Religious School lessons into the students’ URJ CHAI curriculum, but the structure of my educational programming was not as cohesive as I would have liked. This coming year, lessons will be tailored to the particular needs of the class while delving into the relationship between Jewish identity, versus action, versus belief. Ideally, this approach will foster connections with students that encourage them to reach out to me with their deeper questions and struggles. It is imperative to me that students feel they have a Rabbi to turn to and talk with throughout their evolving Jewish journey.

We will have guiding questions for the year integrating, discussion, drama, and art to reflect upon:

-Personal Jewish identity that go beyond the lesson plans.

            -Additional concrete ways to create Jewish meaning.

-Building a more sophisticated conception of the Eternal.

I plan to attend the teacher’s meeting at the beginning of the school year to brainstorm ways we can support each other as well as hear about the specific Jewish struggles unique to each class.

Parental support and commitment are all a crucial part of religious education. I will frequently lead k’hilah and several Family Education programs as we seek to build an even stronger parental community as well as to further foster Jewish connections and experiences that can be shared at home. These family education programs will center around both Jewish values and creative, meaningful ways to celebrate holidays at home. During these programs, I will spend time with just parents and with families together. Opportunities for family participation will continue throughout the year at Shabbat during our monthly First Friday service as well as our High Holy Days children’s services, Simchat Torah, and Purim celebrations which are all geared towards families.

Religious School Principal Debbie Zainwel and I are both enthusiastic about this new vision. We look forward to hearing from you and to a meaningful and exciting school year this fall.

One of the highlights of this past year for me was the ruach–filled singing during our Tu B’Shevat Seder. I knew that I wanted to introduce Temple Beth Or to a tisch, gathering around a table to sing and share l’chaim’s and Torah wisdom. Tisch literally means table and traditionally refers to a gathering of Hasidim around their Rebbe. It may consist of speeches on Torah subjects, singing of Hasidic melodies known as niggunim, and refreshments. On June 7^th we will gather to celebrate Shavuot and receiving our Torah with a night of singing and learning. For one night, I will be the Rebbe of Snohomish County!

The ORacle, June 2011 Issue

Shavuot is one of the less well know Jewish holidays. In the Torah, Shavuot was an agricultural holiday, marking the end of the grain harvest and the beginning of a new agricultural season during which the first fruits were brought to the Temple in Jerusalem. Later, Shavuot came to be associated with the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. On Passover we celebrate freedom from our Mitzraim, our narrow places, and on Shavuot, our freedom is given purpose—collective commitment to living an ethical, rule-governed life of Divine purpose.

Shavuot is traditionally celebrated with an all-night study session called tikkun leil Shavuot. It is also common to eat cheesecake and other dairy foods, as the Torah is likened to milk and honey. Temple Beth Or’s Shavuot celebration will be in three parts, and participants can come to one session or all.

From 7:00-7:50pm, we will have our tisch with singing, and noshing, and l’chaims. Noah Zeichner will lead us in music. Together we will sing niggunim, along with some old favorites, and learn a few new songs as well.

From 8:00-8:50pm, I will lead a lively debate about the Revelation of Torah.   How in principle is it possible to believe in Revelation? Did these events take place? What was revealed?

From 9:00-9:45pm, Heidi Piel will lead a chevrutah study session (one-on-one Torah study wrestling with texts). If there are any hardy souls up for late night Torah, Heidi will stay as late as long as people can stay awake! It will be a rousing and thought-provoking evening with noshes to enhance learning, of course.

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On a different note, I would like to invite congregants to share stories and reflections this year during the High Holidays.  You can introduce a meaningful prayer, share a High Holiday memory, or speak about a theological or liturgical struggle you experience this time of year.  This is an opportunity to fully experience the High Holidays with your community and intersperse our services with the many voices of our congregation.  Please contact me with questions.

Hope to see you at the tisch!

Rabbi Jessica Kessler Marshall

I have spoken recently with numerous congregants who are caring for aging parents as well as those who face transitions in their own lives as they mature. Our Jewish textual tradition has much to say about sacred aging, and new blessings and prayers are continually created to support us as we encounter new life-passages.

The ORacle, May 2011 Issue

Jewish texts present many sides in caring for aging parents:

-Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and mother, that you may long endure on the land that the Eternal your God is assigning to you.”

-Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 31b-32a response to Exodus 20:12:

• The relationship of the adult child to the parent cannot become one of inverted roles, at least until it must.
• Children are also created in God’s image.       Their lives cannot be swallowed up by impossible burdens created by parents.
• The commandments of honor and respect are incumbent upon children only when parents observe the commandments required of them.
• If it is impossible for the child to be a caregiver because the parent is so radically changed, the child may leave the parent in the care of others (Maimonides).
• When the parent begins to destroy the child, even in cases where the parent is not consciously doing so, the child may save himself/herself and observe the command to “honor,” by caring for the parent, by proxy.

-Leviticus 19:3, “You shall revere your father and mother.”

-Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 8b, “Show respect to an old man who has forgotten his learning through no fault of his own, for the fragments of the old tablets were kept alongside the new tablets in the Ark of the Covenant.”

These passages encourage us to consider the difference between honoring and revering one’s parents. They also lead us to consider as children, what exactly are our obligations toward our parents?

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And for those of us who are facing our own changing realities as we move out of our homes into assisted living facilities or help parents through this process, here is a Blessing on the Occasion of a Life Transition.

            Eternal God, Source of all life.

            Thank You for giving me life.

            Thank You for guiding my way,

And for helping me adjust to the changes in my life.

Help me mourn the losses I have known.

Open my eyes to new possibilities and new opportunities

for continued growth, for new relationships in my new home.

Bless my new home and watch over me.

Help my new home become a place

of comfort, connections, and community.

May You be a constant Presence

And Source of comfort in my life.

Amen.

These are just a few of the many resources available. Please also be in touch with me if there are ways I can be supportive through these transitions.

Further resources:

• To Honor and Respect: A Program and Resource Guide for Congregations on Sacred Aging, by Richard F. Address with Andrew Rosenkranz, URJ Press.
• https://www.ritualwell.org/lifecycles/growingolder/