It's all over

Well kind of only four more years.

My first year of rabbinical school is in the bag. And I have to say it was a pretty awesome. I learned a lot about Israel, jewish ancient texts, and I realized that I have some excellent classmates. I will reflect more on my year in a more detailed post ina couple of weeks.


For now I wanted to update you on my whereabouts. After not having enough vacation time during the school year (read with sarcasm). Arielle and I decided to take a mini vacation. Right now we are in Morocco for the next ten days, then a trip to Vienna to meet my older brother and a quick scoot down to Bratislava to see Taryn and Christoph. I know it is as tough life but some one has to do it.

I will try to update during our adventures but for now time to eat some marrakech tangier.

ERBP

Run in with Israeli Police Take 2

Yep you read it correctly... if you remember my blog post from the summer you will remember that I was walking home and got "pulled over" because the police thought I had drugs.

Well I got "pulled over" again. Not for the suspicion of drugs but for drum-roll please....

JAYWALKING!

Yep I got stopped by the Israeli police for jaywalking. Here is the story....

I was walking home from school like I normally do and I started crossing this very small one-way street (when I say very small I mean the crossing could not be more than 10 ft long). All of a sudden, I heard a man starting yelling at me. I knew right away what had happened. The little man was red and that I had crossed the street, I had just jaywalked.

I decided that I would forget all the Hebrew, I knew and act like a dumb American. The police officer started yelling more at me and I just looked at him blankly, telling him that I don't speak any Hebrew. I wasn't the only jaywalking culprit, the police officer also "pulled over" a young orthodox family. The police officer asked us for our IDs in Hebrew, and I continued to act dumb and say I don't understand. He finally said ID to me in English, so I gave it to him.

After the Orthodox family was given a 100 Shekel fine (about 30 dollars), the Police Officer started talking to me. He asked me if I knew what I had done. I said no. He then told me that the little man was red and that I wasn't following the rules of the road. I acted surprised and was profusely apologetic, telling him that in NYC where I come from, everybody just walks across the street.

After our short discussion, he called his supervisor. After a two minute conversation he handed back my ID and in a thick Israeli accent said... "Ethan, be careful."

As I continued to walk away, relieved that I did not get a ticket, I saw the police officer grab 3 more people for jaywalking.

I couldn't believe it was a Jaywalking "speed" trap.

Next time you are in Israel. Make sure to look both ways before cross the street, the drivers are crazy but the jaywalk traps are even crazier.

Peace,

ERBP

PS: I still Jaywalk

Baruch Hashem Jews are Dentists

Yep I had a cavity. It sucked. But I decided to try my hand at some medical tourism and call a dentist in Jerusalem.

Here are some highlights from my dentist appointment.

1. On my dentist's bookshelf he not only had books about dentistry, root-canals, and other fascinating teeth books, but I also noticed that there was a copy of the Torah, the Talmud, and famous Rabbi's interpretations. I wonder what the Torah says about teeth whitening... I might write a rabbinic responsa on that.

2. You might not know this but Israel is known for being on the forefront of technology. Many big time companies including Intel and Google have offices and factories in the Holy Land. My dentist was on the forefront of technology too. There were two flat screen televisions in the exam. One in front mounted on the wall and one on the ceiling for when you were put back in the dental chair. The TVs not only had 100 channels, but they also could show you where your cavity was, where you should be flossing more, and the speed of the drill as it went through your enamel.

3. During my consultation with my dentist prior to my filling, he told me that he could operate on me right then and there. Unfortunately, I told him I had to go back to class and I would reschedule. With a sigh of relief, he explained that would be better for him too as now he could go next door and pray Mincha (the afternoon prayer service). Only in Israel...

Don't forget to floss!

--ERBP

BIG NEWS for KOTEL6!

Kotel6 is the 2nd Best HUC-Year in Israel Blog!!

Check out the award here.

(my grandma is going to be so proud of me-- even though I did just receive an email from her with the subject line... "No blogs lately." the email's body went on to read "still love you though -- love gma")

The award givers did did challenge me to blog more though. So stay tuned because in the upcoming days there will be blogs including....

1. A reflection about Yom-Hashoah (Holocaust rememberence day in Israel)
2. A visit to the dentist in Jerusalem
3. And Another run-in with the the Israeli Police

Catch you all later,

ERBP

As the Matzah Ball Turns

Hope all of you are having a grand Pesach Holiday or just a grand week for my non-Jewish readers. Pesach in the Holy Land has been wonderful. We had a great Seder in Israel (Click here to find out why we do two Seders outside of Israel and just one in Israel, there is more of reason than making it easier on family dynamics). Seder was at Arielle's cousins house in Jerusalem. We started the Seder at 8:00 PM and it lasted until 1:30 AM. Though a marathon, the Seder was very spirited. We read the entire haggadah in Hebrew, and had interesting conversations from why Moses is not mentioned in the Haggadah to how much time is allotted to eat the first piece of Matzah after the blessing (four minutes was the consesus).

Seder was wonderful though I did miss being home and with my family (get points for saying that!). And for those who asked, we still say "Next Year in Jerusalem," though under my breath I did say "same time, same place."

Another really cool experience was walking home from Seder at 1:30 AM, and seeing many other people doing the same thing and saying "chag sameach-- Happy Passover." I did see some stumbling Jews, I'm guessing they are light-weights from those four cups of wine.

So now we are on Passover vacation... It has been great hanging out with Arielle's mom in Jerusalem, spent the past couple of days exploring J'lem (including the biblical zoo, relaxing by the pool, and playing tennis next to the Foreign Minister of Israel-- Avigdor Lieberman) . Tomorrow we are off to Jordan and Southern Israel for four days, with a trip to Petra, Wadi Rum, and Eilat. Update of our adventures will follow!

Hope life is rolling for all of you and those bowels are moving...

Take it easy,

ERBP

HAPPY PASSOVER!!!

Though my streak of blogging seven days in a row came to a halt last night. I still have time to wish you all a Chag Sameach! Wishes for a wonderful Passover where ever you may be reading this blog from.

We are off to Arielle's cousins for Pesach Seder. It has a late start time (and probably a late end time) so we might be ending around around the same time. I'll make sure to blog up our Seder festivities, so stay tuned.

Chag Sameach,

ERBP

A Haiku for Day 4

Fun time with the Druze

I will show you tomorrow

Two days to Seder.

A short blog for tonight as we just got back from up North. But pictures and descriptions of our experiences tomorrow. (Though I think this still counts for blogging 4 times in 4 days.... I'm rocking at this... so you should comment on my blog too!).

Much love,

ERBP

Important Rabbinical School Training...

Shabbat Shalom from Atlit, Israel (15 minutes south of Haifa). We are in Atlit having a wonderful Shabbat with the Meller's (Arielle's Seeds of Peace friend's family).

For a Shabbat treat, I thought I would share a video that shows some of the rigorous training that we have to go through to become Rabbis. If you thought that Rabbinical school was just studying Hebrew, reading the Torah, and writing sermons... you better watch this video.

Enjoy!




Shabs,

ERBP

PS: Major props to my good friends Molly and Bess for putting together this fantastic movie. Check out their blog at www.mollyandbessonmoshehess.com for a blog that is updated every day!

Super Market Sweep: Passover Edition

2nd day, 2nd blog post I'm on a roll!

After a delicious dinner with Arielle's mom and sister in Jerusalem, we thought we would capitalize on our time and do a passover shopping, as we are heading up North for a couple of days tomorrow (hopefully I can continue my blog streak during our little trip).

Now along with cats, the second thing that I hate most about Israel is going grocery shopping. The aisles are narrow, the people are pushy, and I get overwhelmed by the amount of dairy products and Hebrew writing. But Arielle and I thought that if we were to go grocery shopping at 10:30 PM it would be a pleasant experience. Of course we were wrong....

Why were we wrong, well everyone one else and their mother were grocery shopping for Passover. Here is a photo montage of our journey at "Supersol."

While shopping we learned that there is kosher for Passover dish soap. I didn't know people eat dish soap.

One good thing about being in Israel for Passover is that they have so many different kosher for Passover products, from granola bars, to rice, to different cakes, to Matzah (we were careful of the pirated Matzah though.... see previous blog). We will have to wait to Monday to see if increased variety = edible.

K4Passover Rice and other exciting new products

Different K4Passover Cakes

The worst part of shopping in Israel is that people leave their shopping carts at the cash register to "save" their spot and then they continue shopping. And don't try to check-out and put your groceries on the conveyor belt in front of the "lone shopping cart" because that could start World War III.

"lone" shopping cart

I wasn't the only one who was having a frustrating shopping experience.

So there you have it... Our Passover shopping spree.

Getting excited because we are almost done checking out!

I think I'll be saying "Next Year at Stop & Shop" where you can have more than one shopping cart in an aisle.

Catch you tomorrow,

ERBP

7 Blogs in 7 Days

The challenge is on... Can I blog seven days in a row? Odds are probably as good as the odds that Cornell will win the big dance, but you never know what can happen.

And if I blog seven days in a row, my GMA said that she would give me a really special prize too.... So now I have some incentive.

Plus, I have chosen a good time to step up to the challenge as a lot is happening in good ole J'lem. From March Madness in Jerusalem, to the approaching Passover holiday, to vacation starting tomorrow, I think I will have plenty to blog about.

So to begin my blogging endeavor, I would like to share a warning to all those who are living in Israel and buying Matzah for the upcoming Passover holiday. Thanks to our good friends in Boston, Charlotte and Daniella, for sending us this article and warning us about this possible catastrophe.

See you tomorrow,

ERBP

Israeli Rabbis Warn About Fake Passover Matzah
2010-03-24 16:28:40.961 GMT

Jerusalem (AP) -- Israel's Chief Rabbinate is warning
Israeli citizens to be on the lookout for pirate matzah.

A week before the start of the holiday of Passover, Israeli
police raided a warehouse containing a 7-ton stockpile of
matzah with fake kosher certificates.

Matzah is flat, unleavened bread Jews eat during the

weeklong holiday instead of regular bread.

Israel's Chief Rabbinate published photos Wednesday of the
matzah packages, warning shoppers not to buy them. The
rabbinate suspects that non-kosher flour was used to make the
matzah. "I can't believe that someone would do something like
that," said Roy Wolf, manager of a leading matzah factory in
Israel, after receiving calls from concerned customers.

Most Israeli Jews do not eat bread during Passover.

This year is flying by (my blog posts are not though).

Long time no blog. I apologize to all my die hard blog readers (mom and gma that is you) and for keeping all of you on the edge of your computer chairs waiting for another blog post. Well the wait is over, here is a quick update with pictures too.

1. Visitors galore continue to drop by Kotel6. Two good Clark friends dropped by the Holy Land, Cara and Robin (here is your shout out!) and Arielle's father swung by too. The visits were wonderful, I'm still waiting for all of you to visit, it is not too late I think we will be here until June!

Robin, Arielle, and Me in downtown J'lem

2. My entire class took a tiyul (a trip) for a three day seminar exploring the South of Israel. Our trip included a visit to the two Reform Kibbutzim, Yahel and Lotan, in the Negev Desert, some snorkeling in the Red Sea, and a Shabbat experience in the desert.

2 Highlights of the tiyul included...

My favorite hike in Israel - Mt. Shlmo, where you can see Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia


And visit to the "Kaki Classroom" at Kibbutz Lotan. Where we learned how kibbutzniks can convert human waste into soil. (When at Lotan, I was proud to contribute to the efforts. I think my donation will help make some very sweet fruit).

3. And last but not least I got to celebrate another holiday in Israel... PURIM! Purim is a holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people living throughout the ancient Persian Empire. It also commemorates a lot of drunkness, costume wearing, and hamantashen (triangle cookies) eating on the streets of Jerusalem.

So to celebrate... Arielle and I decided to dress up as walking "bake sales" to benefit two fundraisers that my classmates are raising money for www.riding4reform.org and www.pesachproject.com. (check out my legs!)


My favorite costume was my friend Jonah, who dressed up as the undercover-mossad agent carrying a British passport who pulled off an assassination in Dubai. If you don't know the story Google it...

Arielle and I also attended the biggest Purim Parade in the entire world. It took place in Holon, Israel. We were expecting the MACY's Purim Day Parade, but instead we got a parade more like the Fairfield, CT Memorial Day Parade. (Unfortunately, there were no kids putting together a map of the middle east on the parade route....)

So as you can tell all is good here. We are off to Istanbul for a long weekend tomorrow (I know tough life... you should feel bad for us!), I'll make sure to blog about our adventures upon our return.

Be well...

ERBP

One Sermon down...

Shalom from very sunny and warm Jerusalem. A valentine's day treat of 75 degree weather... Not too shabby.

Mark your calendars... yesterday, February 13th, 2010, was my first D'var Torah (sermon) at HUC. Below are my words. Thoughts, issues, praises, let me know what you think.

All the best,

ERBP

Mishpatim 2010—Ethan Prosnit

There is an old joke that a rabbi is hired for a new job at a synagogue and on the first day of the Rabbi’s work, the temple president walks into his office and says rabbi, we are so happy that you are here. I just wanted let you know the minhag hamakom of our synagogue. The Board of Directors and I made a decision along time ago that you can talk about any subject on the pulpit, as along as it isn’t about politics or religion. [Pause] Shabbat Shalom…. [Pretend to leave the lectern]

So this Shabbat, I’m going to break those two rules and discuss Judaism and politics. I know mixing them is controversial, but the interplay between our religion and political activism is one that I have been contemplating, one that I have been discussing with many of my classmates, and one that I believe is extremely important as future Jewish professionals. Do we? Can we? Should we? Preach politics from the pulpit?

My answer is an unequivocal yes!

David Klingoffer, a former columnist for the Forward, writes, "we deserve rabbis who will serve as guides to understanding the worlds of personal and public life--the spiritual, the mystical, the ethical, the sexual, the familial, the legal and, yes, the political - in a word, everything.” This is a tall order. Yet, as Reform Jewish leaders we have a responsibility to look at our Jewish traditions within the context of our modernized world. We cannot be afraid of tackling issues like abortion, health care, or gun control. Of course we shouldn't base all of our sermons or lessons on New York Times or Wall Street Journal articles. It is important to speak about God, spirituality, and Shabbat practice. However, this does not preclude us from addressing these hot-button issues and sharing how our ancient texts address them. In order to be effective Rabbis we need to know, understand and appreciate the political issues and cultural mores of our society and offer a nuanced Jewish angle on those hot-button issues.

Reform synagogues have always taken positions on both Jewish and universal human rights issues, active in the fight for civil rights, health care for all, and economic injustices. Judaism imparts this civic duty. Our role as future Jewish professionals is to promote this within our communities. However, when we do preach politics, it needs to be in a thoughtful and balanced way. We may not be experts in economics, health care policy, or national security, but we do have expertise (or at least we will) in our Jewish tradition and text. When we preach about these political and moral issues, we must do it through a Jewish lens. We should look at the Torah to find the interplay between the ancient words and our lives. We should explain where modern Jewish thinkers stand on issues. And we should even connect our communities to political Jewish organizations like the Republican Jewish Coalition and the National Jewish Democratic Council. Regardless of our political orientation, our tradition teaches us " Tzedek tzedek tirdoph.” “Justice, justice, you shall pursue." As Jews, we are advocates for justice and we must seek it.

In this week's Torah portion, Mishpatim, in which we read the first Biblical civil code, one of these crucial issues emerges. Last week, the Israelites received the Ten Commandments. This week, God expands upon them and gives Moses additional rules that the children of Israel should follow. This biblical civil code was used during the time of Moses, and today, some continue to use these laws as proof texts to support their political agendas. The abortion debate is one such political issue that is raised through this code, and one that serves as an example this morning of how we can use our text as an entry point into political discourse: . Exodus 21:22 reads…

“If men fight, and they push a pregnant woman and she miscarries, but no other injury occurs, the one responsible shall be fined. But if other injuries ensue, the penalty shall be life for a life, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, hand for a hand…

When reading Mishpatim, I was expecting to find pro-life groups using this civil code but was surprised to find that pro-choice groups use these verses to support their position. In this verse, we learn that a woman who miscarries as a result of being accidentally injured by two fighting men, is given monetary compensation for her pregnancy. Yet, if the injury is fatal to the woman, the punishment is much more severe: a life for a life. Rabbis during the Rabbinic time period, as well as today's Pro-Choice advocates interpret this passage as a fetus in not worthy of the "life for a life" punishment required if the woman herself is killed. A fetus is not accorded the same legal status as the woman herself.

But like many political issues, this section of the Torah seems ambiguous. Pro-life groups look at our ancient words and question the silence of our tradition on the issue of abortion. With the exception of this verse in Exodus, the Tanakh is mute on the issue of abortion. Rabbi Daniel Schiff, the author of Abortion in Judaism, attributes this silence to the orientation of the Israelite tradition, which places a great emphasis on the mitzvah of procreation. פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ, “Be fruitful and multiply,” the very first commandment of the Torah. Pro-Life activists question, how could we ever look at the Torah and come to the conclusion that it supports abortion when it always promotes procreation?

So there we have it – a major complex political issue. Vastly different opinions from our tradition. Sounds very Jewish.

Personally, I cannot attribute my beliefs on reproductive rights to either the words from our parasha or the commandment "To Be fruitful and multiply." My opinions have been shaped by other forces including my upbringing, my education, and my reform Jewish values. Abortion, like many political issues, is a tricky subject, replete with passion on both sides of the debate. Pro-choice and pro-life activists can both use words from the Torah to support and argue their sides. Given that our text often allows us the ability to support or condemn an action based on our interpretation of the text, how can I use the Torah responsibly in response to modern day hot button issues when I am leading a community?

Of course, preaching from the pulpit in Israel is different than preaching from the pulpit in the United States. I realize that in Israel, it is acceptable, if not expected to discuss politics from the bima but the church-state separation clause found in the US Constitution presents a different set of challenges for US clergy. The key legal limitation on synagogues set by the separation clause, is that synagogues cannot spend one penny, or one second of staff time, supporting or opposing a candidate or party. I believe that this is a good law: as the last thing that we need is to tear our communities apart over which candidate or issue they should oppose or support.

Yet, Rabbi Saperstein, the director of the Religious Action Center in Washington, does not believe that this negates congregations and communities from being involved with politics. When Saperstein was asked whether politics belongs on the Bima, he answered, “Issues, not individuals, Policies not partisanship, Concerns, not candidates. These guidelines should direct synagogues as they chart their critical roles in political activism… By sticking to issues and not candidates, synagogues can fulfill our obligation of prophetic witness without violating the law.”

So, my hope is that when I am hired at my first congregation, that the temple president comes to my office and says, "Rabbi, we are so happy that you are here. We just wanted to let you know the Minhag HaMakom of the synagogue. The board of directors and I decided along time ago that you can discuss any subject on the pulpit, and don’t be afraid to broach religion and politics. We believe that the synagogue is a place for respectful debate, and a place where we can look at the Torah and see how to incorporate it into our lives.

Shabbat Shalom

Happy Super Bowl Monday...

This Monday morning at 12:45 AM, I will be watching the Super Bowl.

Instead of wings and beer, I think there might be some hummus and falafel...

Enjoy the game... or for most of you the commercials.

I also wanted to let you all know that life is great in the HC (Holy City). Big week in Jerusalem this week for me, including our Flag Football playoff game, a student vs. staff soccer game, and my sermon on Shabbat morning services.

I'll update you all soon with pictures and more stories.

But for now...

Go Saints (or a total blow out of a Super bowl so I can go to bed sooner),

ERBP

!מ-ט-ו-ס מטוס! מטוס! מטוס

Blog Update (25/1/2010): A crash landing last night for the JETS... I'm guessing that the outcome of the game I watched last night was similar to the game that most of you watched in good ole US of A. A good and surprising season by the JETS, at least now I can dedicate my rooting to Hapoel Migdal Yerushalyim, Jerusalem's premier basketball team.

For all of those people that can't read the above title it says....

J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!

Big game tonight! 10:30 PM start time in Jerusalem (I'm happy it is the early game).

I'll be watching and praying from the Holy Land.

Go Green! !יאללה ירוק

Because I'm not having enough fun this year....

Here is a Haiku to sum up this blog...

Semester One Done
Vacation to Egypt Fun
Let my people Go

On Sunday (yes we have classes on Sunday and I still have not gotten used to it) I started my second semester of rabbinical school. That means I have only 9 more semesters of rabbinical school left (not too much at all.) My first semester finished well and to celebrate the end of classes my parents joined me in Israel as well as my good friend Taryn (from my Namibian days) and her husband Christoph.

We had a great time in the Holy Land, hiking through Ein Gedi (an oasis in the Negev Dessert), eating our way through Jerusalem, and ringing in 2010 with our own set of sparklers and firecrackers. According to Taryn and Christoph, their stay at Kotel6 was amazing the only thing better was their experience at the Dead Sea.

And because I'm not having enough fun this year, my parents decided to plan an amazing adventure to Egypt for the second part of my vacation. Highlights of our to Egypt included.

1. The PYRAMIDS... and other amazing ancient sites
Since my 6th grade ancient world history class I have always had the desire to visit the only "wonder of the ancient world" still in existence, the Giza Pyramids. This break I got to visit them and they did not disappoint. I even got to climb 3/4 of the way up in the largest pyramid... don't want to ruin the surprise, but there is nothing inside the pyramid. Sorry to crush all of your dreams.

Besides the Pyramids, our travels throughout Egypt took us to amazing temples, tombs, and ancient sites. The beauty and the grandeur of some of these sites is astonishing, especially when you think that they were built over 3000 years ago. Here are some select photos of some of the sites we visited. And for a detailed description of the sites and our travels check out Arielle's blog at www.myholidayinnisrael.blogspot.com.

Statue of Ramses II, Sunset over the Nile through the Luxor Temple

Ancient Hieroglyphics, Mortuary Temple for female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, & Ancient stone statues of Pharaoh.

My favorite Egyptian God Bes, God of Fun & favorite Japanese tourist

Because of our visits to all of these temples, tombs, and pyramids, I'm now pretty good at my Egyptian Gods too... I might even know more about the Egyptian Gods than I do about the Jewish Gods... (Oh Arielle just told, me that there is only one God in the Jewish faith, I think I
learn about that in year three.)

2. Taxi Rides in Cairo
Another highlight of our vacation was our taxi rides in Cairo. If you are looking for an adrenaline rush, just take a taxi through the streets of Cairo. I think taxi drives like to see how scared they can make their passengers.

The vastness of Cairo


Muhammad Ali Mosque (not the boxer)

3. The Egyptians
The Egyptian people were extremely friendly, funny, and clever. We had great guides during our visit and lots of laughs. One Egyptian offered 5 Million camels to marry Arielle (not too shabby, especially when there only about 14 million camels in the entire world!) Egyptians also love Obama. I wore my Obama t-shirt to a market one day, and I got a lot of "OBAMA... he shopped here too!"

4. The Floating Market on the Nile
As we approached one of the locks on the Nile, our boat was approached by over 50 small row boats. Pirates? Nope, just Egyptians selling goods on the floating market. It was amazing! The merchants would show you their products and then would through them up to the top deck. If you liked it you would bargain with them and then throw cash down in a small bag. What an experience, Arielle and I bought a table cloth, not the finest of table cloths but we now have a good story. Pictures below of the experience...

5. Arielle winning the Hot Potato Contest on the Nile River
On the last night of our Nile cruise we had a Gala evening... (Basically a Bar Mitzvah Party, without the Jewish part). We wore traditional Egyptian dress (pictured below), and then played Bar Mitzvah games. The highlight of the evening was Arielle's victory during the hot potato contest. A video of the final round is below. Enjoy!

Overall our trip to Egypt was absolutely amazing (thanks Mom and Dad). I have plenty of more photos almost 1,000. So if you want more details or to see some of the most amazing sites in the world let me know and I'll send you a slideshow of our experiences!

Be well...

ERBP

And when I said the next day I meant two weeks later..

In my previous post, I said that I would have pictures of my Xmas Eve in Bethlehem up the next day. Well here are some pictures, not the next day but at least I'm putting them up within the 12 days of Christmas (I think...). They don't teach us that in rabbinical school.

Birthday Party Concert for Jesus in Manger Square

If you are looking for a nativity scene, Bethlehem is the place to shop.

Or you can shop for souvenirs from John the Baptist
or if you are looking for coffee you can buy it here...

Only an 8.57 KM walk back to J'lem... not very well marked just take my word on that.