Quote of the day

Jun 11, 2009 at 2:52 AM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

For the Hasid, spiritual pride is the greatest roadblock on the spiritual journey. As we engage in this or that spiritual exercise, we imagine ourselves growing more holy. This is pride. The quality of your spiritual practice rests on the quality of your intention. And there is only one right intention: to do what you do for its own sake, what Judaism calls lishmah. To engage in a spiritual practice with the intent of gaining something in return is to practice idolatry.

Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Hasidic Tales, p. 80

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Quote of the day

Jun 8, 2009 at 2:01 AM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua


If your ears are not open to the crying of the poor, then your ears are deaf, and you will not hear G-d calling either.

- Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

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Quote of the day

Jun 4, 2009 at 12:57 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

The most significant mystical contribution to the Siddur is the Kedusha, said in three different forms, most notably during the readers repetition of the Amida ... This is a mystical idea, and like all mysticism it hovers at the edge of intelligibility. Mysticism is an attempt to say the unsayable, know the unknowable, to reach out in language to a reality that lies beyond the scope of language. Often in the course of history, mysticism has tended to devalue the world of senses in favor of a more exalted realm of disembodied spirituality. Jewish mysticism did not take this course. Instead it chose to bathe our life on earth in the dazzling light of the Divine radiance.

Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks שליט"א from the introduction to the new Koren Siddur, p. xxxiii-xxxiv.

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Another wagging tongue

Jun 3, 2009 at 12:22 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

How much longer does the world need to listen to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Not surprisingly he continues his slurs against the Holocaust and against the West.

Haaretz reports that in a radio address delivered last week, Ahmadinejad once again referred to the Shoah as the "Big Deception" and the West's "weakness."

The West has taken the issue of the Holocaust to expose a hypocritical innocence and oppress other nations, but I have effectively attacked this weak point of the West.

Ahmadinejad is currently in the middle of a fierce campaign to be re-elected to a second four-year term as president of Iran.  His primary pro-reform rival, Mir Hossein Mousavi, has openly criticized Ahmadinejad's constant questioning of the Holocaust, stating that it has undermined Iran's international standing.

Iran cannot move forward with Ahmadinejad at its helm.  He has proven time and time again his unwillingness to work with the international community, and continues to reject any compromise with world powers over nuclear energy.

It's time for a change in the world, and let's start with saying goodbye to Ahmadinejad.  Hopefully the Iranian people will elect a new leader open to democracy, committed to working with the international community, and one who will be a peaceful neighbor in the constantly shaky Middle East.

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A war against the Jews

Jun 1, 2009 at 10:48 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews.

- A Newsletter published by "The trade union of Hungarian police officers prepared for action," quoted in Haaretz.

Anti-Semitism is alive and well, especially in Hungary, which is home to the third largest Jewish community in Europe, and has a long history of battling prejudice in its many forms. As one who lived in Hungary for a time (2001 and part of 2002), I can attest to the pervasiveness of anti-Semitism in Hungarian society.

When I first moved to Budapest from Southern California I was cautioned to avoid wearing a Star of David, a yarmulke, or any other Jewish symbols. Many people will refrain from openly identifying themselves as being Jewish out of fear. When I rented my first apartment, my Jewish landlords were very nervous about my putting up a mezuzah, fearing their property would be vandalized. And I quickly learned my lesson when a swastika was painted outside my apartment window.

A recent article in HaAretz documents just how acceptable it has become in Hungary to blame social woes on Jews and Gypsies:

A crumbling country, torn apart by Hungarian-Gypsy civil war, could easily be claimed by the rich Jews," the article [mentioned above] went on to say. "That is why we should expect a Hungarian-Gypsy civil war, fomented by Jews as they rub their hands together with pleasure.

Once again, hatred continues to rear its ugly head.

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