Halachic, Philosophical, and Educational Approaches to Social Justice

Rav Yaakov Margalit – Continuing Education Department,
Orot Israel College, Rechovot Campus

Every year, Orot Israel College organizes assorted conferences devoted to the intersection of Torah, private and public life, and the educational system.

In Tishrei, Orot held one such symposium at our Rechovot campus, entitled “Halachic, Philosophical, and Educational Approaches to Social Justice.”

The first speaker was Rav Yaakov Ariel shlit”a, Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan, who described the ideal State of Israel, which must be based on the values of justice and tzedakah (charity). He explained that he was not referring to tzedakah as a voluntary matter but rather as a public responsibility. Indeed, this form of tzedakah was practiced in Jewish communities throughout the generations and has clear manifestations in Jewish law - including the matanot kehunah (the tithes and other gifts given to the kohanim), the matanot aniyim (the various gifts given to the poor), the communal tzedakah funds, and more.

Rav Ariel encouraged the audience to join the social protests and insisted that they need not be concerned about the foreign motives which may perhaps be behind some of the protests. Furthermore, he declared that we must allow our well-defined, ideological, and Torah-based voices to be heard and that we must demonstrate a willingness to improve society and not merely make demands on the State.

After Rav Ariel completed his talk, Rav Shlomo Ishon shlit”a, head of the Keter Institute for Economy According to Torah, discussed the State’s social justice obligations, such as regulating the prices of essential goods, combatting profiteering, and so on. Rav Ishon contrasted the poverty line, as defined by the Western world and Israel’s bituach leumi (literally, national insurance – i.e. social security), with the Jewish alternative, which requires society to ensure that every person’s basic needs are met in a dignified and respectful manner.

Professor Rav Neriah Gutel, President of Orot Israel College, delivered the next lecture. He observed that the Torah deliberately refrained from establishing a categorical social-economic doctrine, because according to the Torah, social-economic policies must conform to each generation’s specific circumstances, location, and era. Yet, at the same time, Jewish law delineates a value system which must serve as the foundation for society’s social-economic principles. Halachah endorses neither predatory capitalism nor radical Marxist collectivism. Instead, the Torah advocates a measured, moderate approach, which accounts for a particular generation’s needs and concerns.

Finally, Rav Yaakov Margalit, the conference’s organizer, focused on the protests’ educational aspects. Are there any red lines which cannot be crossed? If so, what are they? Is the demand for social justice based on a sense that individual people are being mistreated, or does the protest stem from a feeling of social responsibility? How does this impact the type of protest involved? Must those who head the protests serve as role models?

In conclusion, the conference goers walked away with much food for thought, and all agreed that they are looking forward to our next conference, which is scheduled to take place during the month of Nissan.

Its Zionism Y'all: Bringing Israel to the South

By Jaqueline Rose (Gray)
Bogeret of BZ 5753

In the summer of 2010, myself, my husband and our four children moved from our home in Modiin to Atlanta, Georgia for שליחות. My husband is a teacher and so the decision to go on שליחות was about giving something back to a community in the diaspora. We also thought it would be an amazing experience for us as a family - the opportunity to live in a different country, met different people and visit places that we would not normally get a chance to see.

We were sent by הסוכנות היהודית as שליחים מורים and have spent the past 15 months in Atlanta working at Greenfield Hebrew Academy and Young Israel of Toco Hills shul. I have been providing Hebrew enrichment and support to 1-8th grade students, together with giving yoga and environmental education classes to gan age kids. My husband has been teaching 7th and 8th grade Kodesh and History of Israel - his area of expertise! Shabbat is no time for rest as my husband is also Youth Director in the local Young Israel shul, organizing youth tefilla in the morning and Bnei AKiva in the afternoon. Being שליחים is a 7 days a week job!! We have worked very hard devoting ourselves to the community that brought us here, and trying to ensure that our שליחות has meaning and purpose by being an example to the community of what is means to be a religious Jew with Israel as a core value.

Despite the hard work, we are having a wonderful time here. We have been welcomed into the community with open arms and have made really good friends. Most importantly our children have integrated well and made amazing friends, having none of the social challenges you worry about as a parent. We have made sure to make the most of every Sunday, vacation, and family outing. We have enjoyed all the small things that make America such a fun place to be - Starbucks and Target to name a few!

But not a day goes by when we don’t miss Israel. During my year at Orot (1992-93) my love for Israel developed into an ideology, a life path, a passion. I meet and learned with people who had a deep love and respect for Israel and the Jewish people, and the way they lived their lives inspired me to want to live by those values. I knew that there was nowhere else that I wanted to live my life and raise a family. Five years after leaving Orot, I left my home town of London for Israel. I still remember how I cried the whole 4.5 hour flight, but once I landed at Ben Gurion I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I had done what I promised myself I was going to do – I had made aliya.

Today, it is hard being away from our house that we built, our family and friends, relaxing Fridays when you DON’T come home from work and have to cook for Shabbat in two hours, and the sense of being part of a national community. Soon we will return to Israel. I do not under estimate how hard it will be to leave here, for myself and my husband, for our children. Even though we always knew this was temporary it's still hard to leave a place that you have invested time and energy, and made every effort to be part of the community. But once we touch down at Ben Gurion I know that I will have the same feelings I had when I made aliya - I am home, and as we all know “there is no place like home”!

Avraham Avinu The Friaer - Dvar Torah for Parshat Chayei Sarah

I listen to a popular American radio program (via the magic of iTunes podcast) called "This American Life", a story-based show about different aspects of, you guessed it, American Life. In March, while running in Yad Binyamin listening to the show, I heard a story that taught me pshat in Parshat Chayei Sarah.
The show's narrator interviewed an Iranian immigrant about the unusual Iranian custom of Ta'aruf, which, according to Wikipedia, "leads people to constantly offer things they may not want to give, and to refuse things they really want." Basically, even though you want something, practitioners of Ta'aruf must say exactly the opposite, in an elaborate charade meant to finally reach a nuanced conclusion. The Iranian immigrant, interviewed for the story, describes an imaginary interaction that takes place in Iranian stores every day.

You go into a story and you go and you buy dried fruit or something. You take it up to the counter to go pay, and the store owner says, "It's worthless. This is worthless. Your value is so much greater than this thing that you're trying to buy. Then you have to say, 'No, no, no, really, how much does it cost?' He tells you, 'No, no, no, just take it.' You have to argue to find out the price, until finally you get to the point where he tells you the price, and then he quotes you a price that's way more than the item is actually worth. Then it becomes a bargaining session." 

Does that sound vaguely familiar? Listening to the story, I realized that this short description precisely matches the first section of Chayei Sarah (Bereishit 23), where Avraham Avinu purchases the Me'arat Hamachpelah.

To read the rest of the piece, click here to download the formatted pdf version.

The Bat Zion 5764 Reunion in Nof Tzion

By Debbie Ifield, Bogeret of BZ 5764

It was Chol Hamoed Succot and I was off to Jerusalem. I set out from South Netanya, very excited to reunite with my Orot friends. I finally made it into Jerusalem, despite heavy Chol Hamoed traffic, and asked a taxi driver to take me to Nof Tzion. 'Sof Ha'olam!!' he said, but he eventually found the area, and I ran into my friend Eddie's (Shoshana Bauer) apartment to be greeted by the greatest bunch of girls I've ever had the privilege to spend time with.

I was quite late, so everyone had already arrived, complete with husbands, children and smiles on their faces. This year the Orot Succah Party was particularly special. Not only was it 8 years since we first became a Bat Zion group, but this time we were also celebrating our fantastic madricha Debbie's 30th birthday. It was a surprise for her, and we partied in style, in the succah and the main room, with lunch and birthday cake, with recounting old Orot stories and playing with the new generation - the Orot kids. I finally saw the newly engaged Chaya and had the chance to wish her mazal tov in person, (as well as Bshaa tova to quite a few of the other Orot ladies). The Tal programme was also represented. We gathered together from all areas of Israel, from Jerusalem to Shuva to Netanya to Maale Adumim all the way to Mizpe Rimon!

Seeing my Orot friends was a definite highlight of my trip to Israel. It always is!!

2nd Annual Sukkot Orot Reunion

By Debbie (Krug) Shochat,
Madricha of Bat Zion 5764

A long time ago, when I was a madricha at Orot, “Batzi” the car was driven into the Orot parking lot, and there was room for 4 other passengers. 7 years later, Baruch Hashem there isn’t an available seat. As Oriya and I drove down the windy road to get to Nof Tzion, standing at about 5 different bus stops stood all the Orot Bogrot, with Baruch Hashem, many children in sight. Sadly, I wished that I had room for everyone in the car, but I was beyond happy looking at the continuity and growth. Though it was no simple task arriving, over 30 people attended the reunion, and from literally all over Israel, as far south as Mitzpe Ramon, to as far north as Shilo. (Though, a bogeret from Ma’a lot wished that she was able to come). There was good food, good laughs, and reminiscing over the good times. And while topics of discussion 7 years ago were about Rav Kook, filling out Shabbat lists, what’s Shula serving for lunch, and Rav Shvat’s latest new song, suddenly other realms of conversations can be heard. Whether it be careers, politics, children, communities, with occasional divrei Torah as well, it’s a true blessing to see commitment to Torah, to Israel, and to friendship, so many years later.

Practice, Practice Practice

By Rabbi Ephraim Levitz,
Student Teacher Practicum Department, Elkana Campus

Field work is proscribed in many professions. Lawyers, doctors, accountants, social workers, psychologists, etc. all require intense practical experience, guided by licensed and experienced experts in their profession. The student teacher must undergo similar training and field work to avail the opportunity for reflective practice under the supervision of a teacher trainer. This practice is highly structured and the benefits rewards are invaluable.

The practical aspects of our teacher training are considered the crown jewel of our program. After many intense months of theoretical coursework, the students go out in to the classroom to apply what they have learned. In the beginning the questions are more numerous than the answers. At this stage the students realize what they have learned well and what requires further revision.

In comes the מדריכה פדגוגית (teacher trainer). With a warm smile and an encouraging word, the Madricha escorts the student down to the playing field for a practice game. No pressure. The new rookie, knees shaking, voice trembling, enters the classroom to teach the first lesson. While stage fright takes over the Madricha pushes the student out from behind the curtain to center stage. “בקר טוב תלמידים...” she begins in a quiet voice, and her lesson plan slowly unfolds into a full blown drama. After the lesson the Madricha gathers her flock for the feedback powwow. She tries to highlight the strengths of the lesson, leaving the critical comments for another day. The student walks away exhausted and excited, “I did it”!

The first semester of teacher training has started on the right foot. Ode to the tireless efforts and assistance of Dalia Plesser, who recently retired from the position as head of department but obliged to assist with the arduous task of assignment, the placement of each of the students went smoothly. The general feeling is everyone is content in their schools and there is a sense of satisfaction and intrigue for the challenges yet to come.

I assumed the position as head of the department in July. I am still trying to get acquainted with the myriad of rules and regulations as well as to understand the needs of the students. Although flexibility is needed in many cases, especially in a college for young women, I am working hard to maintain the standards of excellence that are the college’s trademark. Hopefully the right balance will be found and the students will be able to enjoy the student teaching experience.

Goals and Aspirations:

For the short term, my efforts are focused on keeping the momentum of the system going forward, business as usual. This alone is a challenging task. I am not planning changes at this stage while I am learning the system.

I hope to survey students from the various streams to get a firsthand impression of the student’s experience in the field. This will provide food for thought for future plans and development.

At this point I am establishing working relationships with the Madrichot. In the future I aim to expand the use of technology in the running of the department, and in promoting team collaboration. The staff has been very welcoming and helpful until now and I look forward to a very productive year.

The middle range goals are in the area of opening more communication between the lecturers and the Madrichot. Through these meetings I hope to clarify the special requirements and needs of each department and prepare a coherent guide for the perplexed student teacher. In the same vein I hope to examine each of the templates and forms used routinely by the students to try to ease some of the confusion that currently exists.

Besides serving as מדריך פדגוגי in various colleges in Israel, I have specialized in cognitive training for the classroom. My long term wish is to incorporate some of the practical skills and tools of creative thinking development and metacognition in the teacher training program in אורות ישראל.

Teaching has been the passion of my life. It should never be perceived as a job, rather as a life mission. The פסוק states,

”ושננתם לבניך”. רש"י cites חז"ל, “To your children: These are your students”. The verse is not speaking about the mission of the father to teach his own children the lessons of the Torah. That is obvious. Rather, hints רש"י, the Torah is speaking to teachers. Every teaching situation should be viewed as personal as parenting. Teaching students is like raising your own children, with the same love and patience and concern for their success.

I would like to express my gratitude to Rabbi Professor Neriya Guttel, the President of Orot Israel College, and to Rabbi Dr. Moshe Rachimi, Dean of Students, for their guidance and support. I feel privileged to serve in such an esteemed institution for higher learning in Israel.

Seeing Yad Hashem in the World

Remember those "Magic Eye" books?
A few years back, these books were all the rage. You've seen them – pictures of seemingly blurry blotches of nothing, but if you look at the picture in just the right way from the proper distance, you begin to see that there's a picture inside the picture, hiding in plain sight.
If you never figured out how to properly "see" the hidden image, these books are infuriating. After all, your friends stare at a page for a second and then say, "Whoa! Look at that!" And no matter how long you look, you can't see anything at all. But it's not that you can't see the picture. You're looking straight at it. You just haven't learned how to look at it in the manner which will allow you to see the picture inside the picture. With enough practice, a person can indeed learn to see the picture in the picture.
These Magic Eye books are a great metaphor for spiritual life.
We live our lives knowing that God plays an intimate, direct role in our lives, aware of the fact that God's firm grasp continues to guide klal yisrael. And yet, we cannot see what's right in front of our eyes. Like those "magic" pictures, the keys lies in learning how to look for what we see but cannot identify. How can we learn to see the Hand of God in the world? Rav Kook, commenting on a beautiful Aggadah, provides an fascinating suggestion.
The Gemara (erachot 58a) tells the story of ben Zoma, and the proper attitude towards the acts of kindness that others perform for us.

He used to say: What does a good guest say? 'How much trouble my host has taken for me! How much meat he has set before me! How much wine he has set before me! How many cakes he has set before me! And all the trouble he has taken was only for my sake!' But what does a bad guest say? 'How much after all has mine host put himself out? I have eaten one piece of bread, I have eaten one slice of meat, I have drunk one cup of wine! All the trouble which my host has taken was only for the sake of his wife and his children!' What does Scripture say of a good guest? "Remember that you magnify his works, where of men have sung." (Job 35:24)  But of a bad guest it is written: "Men do therefore fear him; [he regards not any that are wise of heart]". (37:24)

It's so easy to write off the things that other people do for us, as his "bad guest" so easily does. After all, they didn't make the effort for us - they made if for themselves. But all too often, we take this attitude not with our hosts, but with those we love the most - a spouse, a parent, a sibling or friend - we just take them for granted, which we should never allow ourselves to do. If we took the time to focus on the effort that goes into meeting our daily needs, and appreciating the good that others do on our behalf, we'd be much happier, content and more fulfilled.
It's a beautiful Gemara. But Rav Kook, in his commentary Ein Ayah on the Aggadah, sees ben Zoma's lesson as a critical key to seeing God's hand in the world.
Rav Kook begins his essay by noting that the issue of whether to believe in God's Hand in the world or not is not an intellectual question. It's not a matter than can be proved or disproved. "Rather, these two [attitudes] are dependent on the condition of the soul, whether for good or for bad…" How then do we learn to see God's goodness in the world? We do this through practice, by learning to see the good in those around us.

…the pure soul, which is ready to do good, will look upon the Divine influence with a good eye, for his soul will see that God's will is only to bring good. And where does this goodness come from, if not from the Divine light that is good and bestows good. Therefore, he will be certain that all is done for the good, and those seemingly negative events in the world have an ultimate positive end.

In essence, the way we look at the world at large is the very same way that we'll see the people who surround us. If we see God's goodness in the world, we'll also see that goodness in the actions of our fellow man. And, if we refuse to see the Hand of Hashem in the world, we won't see goodness or kindness in the things others do for us either.
Yet, the opposite rule also applies. If we can learn to see the goodness in the small things, that positive attitude will spread as well to the way we look at the world. In essence, if we can learn to not only see, but appreciate the small acts of kindness that others do for us in life, we'll train ourselves not only to see small acts of goodness in the world, but the big ones as well. In a nutshell, the more goodness we learn to see, the more we'll see it all around us.
How many kindnesses do we allow to go unnoticed? How many times has a loved one gone out of his or her way on our behalf, and we just took it for granted? How many times has a neighbor done us that small favor – one which we forgot to acknowledge? Think about the small kindnesses built into the fabric of daily life: someone cooked us dinner (and if you cooked it, odds are that someone else earned it.) Someone made sure to post the schedule of davening in shul. Someone took the time to ensure that the community tiyyul arrangements were properly addressed. The list goes on and on. And it's not their job. They weren't doing it anyway. (That's what ben Zoma's "bad guest" says, remember?) They did us a kindness, and we didn't even notice.
And then we wonder why we cannot see the larger, hidden good, when we fail to pay attention to the obvious acts of kindness happening right in front of us!
How then can we learn to see something we know is there but invisible all the same? Like those "Magic Eye" books, the answer lies in knowing how and what to look for. When we start focusing on all of the good in our lives; when we begin to see the small acts of kindness and goodness that surround us, we'll begin to train our eyes to see that which was already there: the Divine goodness of God, guiding us and bestowing goodness upon us, our families, and Klal Yisrael.