TORAH INSIGHTS FOR A MODERN AGE By DAVID ROTENBERG Integrated Studies Final Project Essay (MAIS 700) submitted to Dr. Mike Gismondi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts – Integrated Studies Athabasca, Alberta August, 2013
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TORAH INSIGHTS FOR A MODERN AGE
By
DAVID ROTENBERG
Integrated Studies Final Project Essay (MAIS 700)
submitted to Dr. Mike Gismondi
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts – Integrated Studies
Athabasca, Alberta
August, 2013
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Table of Contents
Abstract ………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………... 5
Essay One: Joseph vs. George – A Modern Look at Faith ………………….. 11
Essay Two: What’s in a Name? ……………………………………………….. 18
Essay Three: Talk to Strangers ………………………………………………... 23
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………… 29
References ………………………………………………………………………. 34
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ABSTRACT
Today’s Jewish community features very different demographics from
previous generations’ due to large sections of the population being unaffiliated,
non-observant, or “Modern Orthodox”. As a result, any efforts to reconnect the
unaffiliated and/or reach these other segments of the community for spiritual
direction and Torah education must be targeted in new strategic ways. This
project employs both the scriptural and comedic knowledge of its author, Rabbi
David Rotenberg, a semi-professional stand-up comic, to develop contemporary
Torah insights targeted at a modern audience.
The project focuses on lessons applicable to three of the 54 weekly
portions of the Chumash (Five Books of Moses), Vayigash, Kedoshim, and Emor,
each developed as an independent essay, although numerous additional relevant
sources are also discussed. Each essay establishes an accepted understanding of
the relevant Torah concepts, rooted in the text and traditional commentaries.
This conventional thinking is then challenged with original questions, and
comedic sources are introduced as a form of unorthodox commentary. The
essays conclude by demonstrating a connection and revealing the newly-inspired
message.
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Through the substantive content yielded by the integration of humour
sources with Biblical content, the original query – whether new Torah insights
could be developed to appeal to a modern audience – can be answered in the
affirmative. While the research and subsequent development of these chidushim
(new Torah insights) are absolutely a success, they represent but a minute
sample size of the canon of Torah. Furthermore, this project acknowledges the
fact that this work is successful due to the expertise of its author as a practitioner
of Jewish education and ministry as well as comedy, and is thus something not
easily copied by anyone. Nonetheless, it does prove that creating such
chidushim is possible, in addition to yielding three humorous modern Torah
lessons not previously available to any audience. In addition, it demonstrates the
potential for any Jewish educator with specialised expertise to undergo a similar
exercise, and produce similarly innovative results.
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Introduction
Of what significance to today’s modern world is a sacred text given
nearly 4000 years ago? If, as is a core belief of Judaism, the Torah is authored by
an Infinite God, then its laws, morals, and ethics are wholly relevant even today.
Jewish Law is continually being applied to new situations, and the study of both
the scripture and the lessons of the Torah, is central to Jewish life. We study
Torah for the sake of our own religious development, for the spiritual benefit to
our community, and to grow in our understanding of God and His creation.
Nonetheless, working as a Jewish spiritual leader in today’s modern age is not
without its challenges.
Jewish people of my parents’ generation recall that any time they asked
why Jewish belief/tradition dictated a certain practice, the response was a
Yiddish expression loosely translated as “That’s how it is, and that’s how it will
always be.” Ironically, Judaism has never been a religion that espouses blind
faith; critical thought and debate are pivotal to Jewish learning, and the study of
scriptural texts and their commentaries is fundamental to Jewish life.
Regardless, while it is questionable whether those previous generations found
such an answer even remotely satisfying, most of today’s Jews have no interest in
blindly accepting any religious direction without explanation or meaning.
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In today’s Jewish community, we see numerous attitudes towards
religion. As in previous generations, the devoutly observant demographic is
alive and well. What outsiders would likely call “Ultra-Orthodox” levels of
practice, and extreme dedication to Torah study characterise this segment of the
population. At the opposite end of the spectrum are those who are unaffiliated
with any formal aspect of Judaism and have no ties to Jewish community
institutions. In many cases such people are wary of anything perceived as
religious, and - whether the cause or the effect - are at risk of assimilating into
secular society so fully that they will eventually vanish from the Jewish nation
entirely.
In between these two extremes are Jews that span a vast range of levels
of Jewish affiliation, observance, and education. For them, Judaism is absolutely
applicable and valuable in their lives, but Torah learning may be less of a priority
to them and/or they may be more discerning in their choice of sources for study.
The most traditional commentaries on both the Written and Oral components of
the Torah come from the period of the “Rishonim” (between the 11th and 15th
Centuries), with others being written by sages that have lived since. While they
all offer deep Torah insights that are completely applicable today, many Jews are
looking to more contemporary sources for chidushim (new Torah insights).
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As even the most recent rabbinic texts rely on more mainstream
thinking, they are suited primary for a particularly religious audience. However,
with an incredible proliferation of the “Modern Orthodox” community,
increased demand for Torah lessons suited to the non-religious population, and
worldwide outreach initiatives geared at attracting the unaffiliated back to their
heritage, today’s Jewish world necessitates a new treatment of our holiest of
scriptures that will catch the attention of – and appeal to – a broader audience,
while staying true to the spirit of the text.
As a rabbi, I am a duly trained and recognised authority on Jewish
scripture and theology. Over the course of my career to date, a large majority of
my work experience has been with the target demographics described above. In
my spare time, I also moonlight as a semi-professional stand-up comedian,
performing at comedy clubs and other private events on-and-off for the last 15
years. One of the factors of my success in the Jewish field is my ability to use
humour – both my own and quotes from various comedic sources – in my
ministry and teaching.
This idea is hardly revolutionary. In my Jewish education, I have
learned from numerous teachers whose classes could be considered anything
from mildly funny to downright hysterical. The sharing of jokes in the context of
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a Torah lesson is even recorded as far back as the time of the Talmud. Nor is the
use of humour in learning restricted to any one field.
Humour is generally accepted to put people in a positive mood, of
which point there is actually medical support. According to a 2001 article in the
Journal of the Royal College of Physicians, “considerable physiological changes
occur after laughter. The blood flows more freely, the immune response is
stimulated, muscles pump, endorphin production is increased and there is some
relaxation. All of these, not surprisingly, make one feel better.” (Calman, 2001, p.
227) A Torah.org article on Maimonides’s Laws of Understanding, stating “...we
should feel an intense joy at the opportunity to fathom G-d's Torah. And there's
nothing like a little humour to bring out that warm, joyous feeling -- allowing us
to loosen up and maintain our focus,” (Rosenfeld, 2008) would seem to concur.
This by itself can make one more receptive to material on any topic.
Furthermore, articles in Medical Teacher, Nurse Education Today, and the
Journal for Nurses in Professional Development all reference the use of humour
in various teaching contexts in the medical field. Although the benefits of
humour as a teaching/learning tool are put under such scrutiny in some of these
publications, perhaps this is a product of medical experts attempting to resolve a
wealth of anecdotal evidence with limited scientific corroboration on the subject.
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While humour is certainly employed in education in various spheres,
this project aims to take its application to another level. In accordance with the
famous concept “Eilu v’eilu divrei Elokim Chayim” – both these and these are the
words of the Living God, any Torah thoughts or discussions, including new
ideas that are borne out of Torah learning – provided that they are consistent
with the fundamental beliefs of Judaism – themselves become part of the greater
body of Torah. With this in mind, the use of humour – so obviously enjoyed by
most people - may now be employed not only to conduce Torah learning, but to
generate a brand of original chidushim geared primarily toward the wide target
audience described above.
In an attempt to consolidate the various experts’ explanations of
interdisciplinarity, the preface to MAIS 700 text, “Case Studies in
Interdisciplinary Research” states that each of the definitions shares the
following characteristics:
“Interdisciplinary research has a particular substantive focus.
The focus of interdisciplinary research extends beyond a single disciplinary
perspective.
A distinctive characteristic of interdisciplinary research is that it focuses on a
problem or question that is complex.
Interdisciplinary research is characterized by an identifiable process or mode of
inquiry.
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Interdisciplinary research draws explicitly on the disciplines.
The disciplines provide insights into the specific substantive focus of
interdisciplinary research.
Interdisciplinary research involves integration.
The objective of integration is pragmatic; to produce a cognitive advancement
in the form of a new understanding, a new product, or a new meaning.”
(Repko, Newell, and Szostak, 2012, p. xviii)
Over the following pages, three independent essays are presented, each
developing new Torah chidushim. Each essay establishes an accepted
understanding of the relevant Torah concepts, rooted in the text and traditional
commentaries. This conventional thinking is then challenged with original
questions, and comedic sources are introduced as a form of unorthodox
commentary. The essays conclude by demonstrating a connection and revealing
the newly-inspired message. According to the comprehensive definition of
Repko et al., I posit that the research and conclusions contained in the following
pages constitute an example of interdisciplinarity more representative of this
field even than originally intended.
While the research conducted for the purpose of this project yielded
numerous connections between Torah ideas and comedic sources, the three
following essays were developed specifically to provide a structural and
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thematic cross-section of the Chumash (Five Books of Moses), as well as a variety
of forms of comedy.
Essay 1: Joseph vs. George – A Modern Look at Faith
Parshas Vayigash recounts the resolution to the gripping tale of Joseph
and his brothers. A detailed account of the conflict between Joseph and ten of his
11 brothers appears in Parshas Vayeshev (read two weeks before Vayigash) and
is discussed at great length in the Medrash (part of the Oral Torah) and
commentaries. At age 17, Joseph is kidnapped by his brothers and sold into
slavery in Egypt. Over the next 13 years Joseph becomes head of his master’s
household, is wrongly imprisoned, and eventually – after correctly interpreting
the Pharaoh’s dream and coming up with an economic strategy for Egypt to
survive the impending famine – rises to prominence as the second-in-command
over the Egyptian Empire. Several years later, Joseph’s brothers come down to
Egypt in search of food, and come face-to-face with the Egyptian viceroy who
they do not recognise as their brother. At first, Joseph deals harshly with them in
order to ascertain their true intentions and to convince them to bring the twelfth
brother, Benjamin, back with them, but eventually reveals his true identity.
Following an emotional reunion, the brothers return to Canaan to share the news
with their father, Jacob, that Joseph isn’t dead (as he had believed for the past 20
years), and the entire nation then moves to the Goshen province of Egypt to be
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close to Joseph and survive the famine. Tangentially, it is this sequence of
events, culminating in the Jewish people sojourning in Egypt that was the
precursor to their eventual subjugation and slavery there.
While Joseph’s bombshell revealing his true identity - and the brothers’
opportunity to later inform Jacob that his son is alive - make for an exciting
climax to a story which develops over three weeks’ readings, a careful analysis of
the dialogue in this section yields multiple questions:
Question One: Upon returning to Canaan, the brothers immediately
inform Jacob, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.”
(Stone Edition Tanach, 1996, p.116) The same verse tells us that Jacob’s heart
rejected this report and that he didn’t believe them. Then, the very next verse
states, “However, when they related to him all the words that Joseph had spoken
to them, and he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, then the
spirit of their father Jacob was revived.” (ibid) Leaving the relevance of the
wagons aside momentarily, it seems strange that in one verse, upon hearing the
news that Joseph is alive, Jacob dismisses this report, and yet only one verse
later, upon hearing “all the words that Joseph had spoken”, not only does Jacob
accept the news, we’re also told that his spirit is revived. Was something left out
of the original report that prompted Jacob’s disbelief? If not, what was it about
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Joseph’s words that they – in combination with the wagons – convinced Jacob
that his son was truly alive?
Question Two: As mentioned above, part of what convinced Jacob that
Joseph was alive was seeing the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport Jacob
and family to Egypt. Strangely, the significance of these wagons and how they
contributed to convincing Jacob of the truth of his sons’ report is not explained
anywhere in the text. In these cases, the natural first step is to look at the
commentary of the Medieval French scholar, Rashi. In his explanation of Genesis
Verse 27, Rashi points out that Agalah, the Hebrew word for ‘wagon’, sounds
similar and is spelled identically (in Hebrew) to the word Eglah (calf).
Coincidentally, Rashi continues, the last topic of Jewish Law that Joseph had
studied with Jacob before going missing was an obscure concept known as
“Eglah Arufah”. Therefore, the sending of the wagons was a subtle hint from
Joseph to his father regarding their Torah study from years previous. (Mikraos
Gedolos I, 1995, p.926)
Although this insight explains the supposed meaning of the wagons, a
crucial point nonetheless seems to have been overlooked. The Chumash
explicitly refers to “the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport [Jacob]” (Stone
Edition Tanach, 1996, p.117) as being one of the factors that convinced Jacob of
the truth that Joseph was alive. Yet, according to Verse 19 (ibid), it was actually
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Pharaoh who had provided the wagons to Joseph’s brothers. If so, of what
consequence should they actually be?
Question Three: Upon revealing his true identity to his brothers, Joseph
makes an extended speech about his time in Egypt, the famine, and how his
position of authority will help his family survive. As part of this monologue,
Joseph, addressing his brothers, makes the following intriguing statement, “And
now: It was not you who sent me here, but God…” (ibid) Obviously, Joseph’s
intention here is to convey to his brothers that he forgives them for what they did
to him. However, if this is what he is attempting to convey, shouldn’t he simply
say so directly? As mentioned previously, the ten brothers’ actions against
Joseph are clearly documented in Vayeshev. What is intended by this hyperbole
absolving them of any responsibility in his travails?
To recap, three questions have been raised: 1) Why is it that Jacob rejected
the original report that Joseph was alive, but upon hearing “all of the words of
Joseph” he was convinced? 2) Seeing the wagons that hinted at their Torah
learning together helped convince Jacob that Joseph was alive. However, how is
this relevant if Pharaoh was the one who sent the wagons? 3) Joseph clearly
forgives his brothers for their role in his plight. However, does that warrant a
revision of history that completely absolves them of any wrongdoing? While
these three questions are all legitimate independently, I suggest that their
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answers are linked. I also suggest that the key to answering these questions can
be found in a scene from the TV series, “Seinfeld”.
In the Season 4 Finale, “The Pilot” (“Seinfeld Scripts”, The Pilot (1)), Jerry
Seinfeld and his best friend George go about producing the ill-fated pilot of their
sitcom, “Jerry”, which is essentially a parody of “Seinfeld” itself. Facing the
prospect of the pilot actually moving forward, George, a lifelong loser, is
suddenly struck by a fear of success and goes to consult his therapist…
George: What if the pilot gets picked up and it becomes a series?
Therapist: That’d be wonderful, George. You’ll be rich and successful.
George: Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m worried about. God would never let me be
successful. He’d kill me first. He’d never let me be happy.
Therapist: I thought you didn’t believe in God?
George: I do for the bad things!
Unfortunately, George’s attitude here is not unique – particularly in
today’s world. For some, as in this situation, people claim not to believe in God
when things are fine, but are ready to blame Him whenever something goes
wrong. For others, it’s easy to believe when things are going their way, but as
soon as things get rough, they conclude that there mustn’t be a God. However,
having faith only in select situations is no faith at all.
With this in mind, we can now start to understand Joseph’s words to his
brothers. Granted, there is no getting around the brothers’ role in Joseph’s
tribulations. However, when Joseph tells his brothers that it was not them who
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sent him to Egypt, the most important part of this statement is that it was
actually God who was responsible. Although things eventually turned around
for him, Joseph’s brothers’ actions resulted in him living through a terrible
ordeal. Throughout, Joseph nonetheless remained steadfast in his beliefs, and
came to see that God’s plan was to eventually lead him to a position of
prominence in order to facilitate his nation’s survival. To now blame his
brothers for any of his past hardships would show a lack of trust that everything
had transpired according to a Divine plan. While the seemingly total absolution
of his brothers’ guilt is admittedly rhetorical, this statement was necessary to
show that Joseph’s faith was completely intact.
Seeing that Joseph continued to believe even in the bad times is one piece
of the puzzle. However, as described above, sometimes it’s harder to remember
God’s role in our lives when things are already going our way. It’s for this
reason that the Torah focuses on the message of the wagons. It’s true that it was
Pharaoh who was originally responsible for providing Joseph’s family with
wagons. However, as Rashi implies (Mikraos Gedolos I, 1995, p.926), Joseph no
doubt sent a subtle message to his father to accompany the wagons, hinting at
the concept of Eglah Arufah and their study together. The message of the wagons
told Jacob that, even despite having risen to a position of great power, Joseph’s
commitment to God’s Torah, its study, and its laws, remained at his core. While
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the physical amenity of the wagons may have been Pharaoh’s contribution, their
spiritual undertones were supplied entirely by Joseph.
Considering both of these ideas, we are finally able to comprehend what
changed in Jacob’s heart and mind when he saw the wagons and when his sons
shared with him exactly what Joseph had said. When they reported simply that
Joseph was alive and that he was, in fact, a ruler over Egypt, Jacob was reluctant
to accept their story. Perhaps it wasn’t actually true that Joseph was alive, and
even if he was, if the most important piece of information to share is that he is a
ruler over Egypt, it would seem that the spiritually-inclined Joseph had indeed
been lost. Elaborating further, however, Jacob’s sons shared Joseph’s own words
as well as the discreet message of the wagons. Together, these proved that
through both the bad times and the good, Joseph’s belief never wavered and that
even today, as an Egyptian viceroy, his knowledge of and commitment to Torah
were as strong as the day they last studied together. Once this was clearly
established, not only was Jacob able to accept that Joseph was alive, but his very
spirit was, in fact, rejuvenated.
In my rabbinic work with students ranging from elementary school to
retirement age, it is clear that many people today are searching for meaning,
some even desperate to find truths in which they can invest. Unfortunately,
people today are also very fickle and quickly stray from a path of belief
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whenever that faith faces even the smallest of challenges. The lesson of George
versus Joseph is that it is important to know who we are and what we believe,
and that through everything we face, to be true to God and to ourselves.
Essay 2: What’s In a Name?
A few years ago I came across an article online suggesting that the idea of
having distinctly Jewish names was an outdated practice, and that we, as a
nation, should give it – and them - up. In his 2009 article for Jewcy.com, a
blogger calling himself “Patrick Aleph” gives an extensive list of the reasons he
advocates for Jews to literally change their last names. The author explicitly
admits to using ‘Aleph’ – the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet - in place of a last
name, in order to post to various websites that wouldn’t allow him to use only
the initial, “A” (which he uses in other contexts), while maintaining his policy
never to let anyone know his real family name. Over the course of the post,
Aleph suggests that: a) Jewish names’ main function is as a way for Jews to band
together and collectively rebel against persecution and anti-Semitism which he