The moment that a person is
called up to recite blessings over the Torah reading in the weekly
service at the Israel Rabbinic Program of Hebrew Union College–Jewish
Institute of Religion (HUC–JIR) in Jerusalem can be rather dramatic and
slightly tense. We have about thirty students from all over the country
and from very diverse backgrounds: some come from families who
practice Reform Judaism, while others have a more traditional
background; some come from kibbutzim or from a secular milieu; most are
Israeli natives, but some are olim. Add to them some HUC–JIR
rabbinic, cantorial, and education students from America who spend
their first year in Israel and choose to join the Israeli service,
along with teachers and staff, and you get a very committed group and a
safe space for worship.
We meet every Monday in the Murstein Synagogue for a
student-led service. Throughout the service we pray together—all as
one—led by one of our students. But the Torah blessing is a personal
moment, when every student and faculty member shares with the community
his or her “own thing”: a personal theology in terms of what is said
and how it is said.
Since the entire service is
recited in the vernacular, we use Hebrew only. Some chant the blessings,
some read them, and some sing them to a tune of an upcoming holiday or
event. In most cases, students and faculty members recite the
traditional words:
Blessed . . . . who has
chosen us from among the peoples, and given us the Torah.
But some choose other versions. For example, some prefer inclusive
language to avoid the concept of being chosen:
Blessed . . . . who has
chosen us with all the peoples, and given us the Torah.
With the revision of one preposition “with”
instead of “from” (??? instead of ?
), they provide an image of God as a parent who chooses, as a matter
of speech, each one of His or Her children.
Others don’t want to give up the concept of being
chosen altogether, but they omit the comparison to the other nations
and instead include positive content. They use the Reconstructionist
version:
“Blessed . . . . who has
brought us close to God's service and has given us God’s Torah.”1
Still others use gender-balanced words, avoiding
masculine language (which is quite a challenging task in a
gender-specific language like Hebrew), and choose versions such as:
“We shall bless the source of
life and the Torah of life.”2
Some favor explicitly gender-specific language, but
replace the traditional address to the Divine with feminine
terminology:
“Blessed are you Yah, spirit
of the universe, who has chosen us from all peoples and given us her
Torah.”3
And sometimes students and faculty members even choose
to share with the congregation their religiosity and faith through
their own words of prayer.
As mentioned above, the
alternative texts are recited less frequently than the traditional text.
Personally, I do not favor some of the versions quoted here (I prefer
to recite the Reconstructionist blessing). But I cherish our minhag
to foster such liturgical diversity. It reflects theological diversity
in our relationship with God and among the people of Israel, while it
includes other nations and reprises the eternal covenant to follow our
Torah. This moment of blessing is precious in our congregation; it’s a
time when we can experiment in a caring and safe atmosphere.
I feel privileged to be part of
such a community. I hope when our students are ordained and begin their
vocation as rabbis they will take with them the warmth and commitment,
as well as the courage and patience to benefit of klal Israel,
the entirety of the people of Israel.
_______________________________
1 Eric Caplan, From Ideology
to Liturgy: Reconstructionist Worship and American Liberal Judaism (Cincinnati:
HUC Press, 2002), pp. 64-64, 193
2 The first who used this address
to God is Marcia Falk (The Book of Blessings, Boston: Beacon
Press, 1996)
3 See: Dalia Marx, "Influences of
the Feminist Movement on Jewish Liturgy: The Case of Israeli Reform
Prayer", Sociological Papers, 3 (2009), in print.
Chile Earthquake Relief
On February 28, 2010 an earthquake struck Chile, killing hundreds,
displacing thousands and causing widespread destruction. The Jewish
Coalition for Disaster Relief, of which the Union for Reform
Judaism is a member, is accepting donations for Chile. Click here to
make an online donation.
On January 12, 2010 a devastating earthquake
struck Haiti, causing untold damage and loss of life. The Union for
Reform Judaism has opened a disaster relief fund to assist the affected
community. Go to www.urj.org/relief
to make a donation or obtain more information about the Union’s
relief efforts.
Registration is now OPEN for the Fourth Annual Israel Kallah
to be held April 29-May 9, 2010 in Jerusalem.
Developed by the Saltz International Education Center of the World
Union for Progressive Judaism. Join us as we study, pray and travel the
Land of Israel.
Who do we want our children and grandchildren
to be? Give the gift of Judaism!
Registration is now open for a URJ Camp or
Israel experience.
Please Click on: http://urjcamps.org/directory.shtml
or http://rjisrael.org
Connect with 
Multimedia: 