Wednesday, October 29, 2014

An Email from John the Revelator

No Good Deed etc: How strange, you may think, for Abq Jew to write a blog post about John the Revelator! Well, it's been a strange week. So here we go.


But first: Abq Jew would not know a thing about John the Revelator were it not for the late folk singer John Herald, of blessed memory. John was one of The Greenbriar Boys, which also included banjoist Bob Yellin (no relation). It was from The Greenbriar Boys that Abq Jew first came to love bluegrass and banjo music.

Later in his career, John wrote the song Jon the Generator, which was patterned after Blind Willie Johnson's version of the gospel tune John the Revelator. John couldn't remember the words, so he made up his own. It became his own classic.

Well, it's been a strange week. Why, just this very morning, Abq Jew received an email from John the Revelator.

You're probably thinking -

Abq Jew received an email from John the Revelation Writer?
The guy who discovered The Seven Seals?


Well ... no. It was from another John the Revelator. Here is his email:
The Udalls and Their Long Proud List of Mass Murderer Ancestors. Sir or Madam: I am REV John Williams, The Revelator, Founder of The Church of Bible Prophecy, an Evangelical Christian religion. I email you to alert you and those you share with the fact that both Senator Tom Udall and Senator Mark Udall proudly proclaim to descend from a long line of mass murderers. Yet, both these Udalls receive a lot of donations and support from Jews! As with The Church, we know that genocide and mass murder is also of great concern to you all. Therefore, we have written to New Mexico Colorado Jews and their Jewish Communities an open letter informing them of of the true characters of just whom they donate to and support. Please visit our webpage at: www.churchofbibleprophecy.org/open-letter-to-jews.htm After you have read this webpage, please email us your comments just as soon as you can. Please freely distribute this webpage as you wish. Thanks. Your servant in God, REV John Williams, The Revelator The Church of Bible Prophecy, Albuquerque, NM
Abq Jew really doesn't know what to do about this. It's just too strange.

How strange? Abq Jew hears you ask.

About as strange (where is Abq Jew's strangeness scale?) as the attack on the Islamic Center of New Mexico last Friday (one Molotov cocktail, if you haven't been paying attention); the official Jewish community's response to the attack; the ICNM's reply to the official Jewish community's response to the attack (appended);


and the unofficial, in Abq Jew's view (but not, of course, in their own) anti-Israel Jewish (and non-Jewish) community's response to the original attack, from today's Albuquerque Journal:
Walk to support Islamic Center 
Several local organizations are sponsoring a “peace walk” in support of the Islamic Center of New Mexico following an attack last week in which someone threw a Molotov cocktail at the center’s building. 
. . .
This will be a family friendly walk open to anyone who wishes to participate, including children. Those who participate are asked to bring a candle and, if they wish, flowers. 
At the Islamic Center a statement of support will be given to Imam Shafi Abdul Aziz, signed by groups and individuals within the community. The Islamic Center has invited the walkers to a reception at the center after the walk. 
Sponsors include: Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, Albuquerque Chapter of United Nations Association, Jewish Voice for Peace Albuquerque, Stop the War Machine, Stop 30 Billion to Israel and ANSWER.

All of this has inspired Abq Jew
to take the rest of the week off. So ....

Here is Jon the Revelator. Which is another Abq Jew milestone - the first YouTube video that Abq Jew created and uploaded to his YouTube channel. Enjoy!


And even though it's only Wednesday -
Shabbat Shalom, Albuquerque!
Good Shabbos, New Mexico!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

26 Miles

Quiara Alegría Hudes, Playwright:  Camino Real Productions, LLC and Albuquerque's National Hispanic Cultural Center are honored to present this captivating play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes.

26 Miles
National Hispanic Cultural Center
Friday November 7  ~ Sunday November 23
Teatro Paraguas in Santa Fe
Friday December 5  ~ Sunday December 14


Tickets: $18 Community. $15 Students / Seniors / NHCC Members.
Available via Vendini here.

Beatriz and Olivia are another pair of seekers seduced by the prospect of a getaway.

Their midnight departure may start out as a desperate move by Beatriz to remove Olivia, her 15-year-old-daughter, from the care of her conflicted father and his indifferent new wife. It may give Beatriz a break from her philandering husband, Manuel.

By the end of the charming, spunky and ultimately heart-rending play, however, the car trip from Paoli, PA, to Yellowstone Park is transformative and restorative for both mother and daughter.


Playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes received the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Water by the Spoonful; a previous play, Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue, was a Pulitzer finalist.

Hudes was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a Jewish father and a Puerto Rican mother. They raised her in West Philadelphia, where she began composing music and writing.

She also studied at the Mary Louise Curtis Branch of Settlement Music School, taking piano lessons with Dolly Krasnopolsky.

She has stated that although she is of "Puerto Rican and Jewish blood", she was "raised by two Puerto Rican parents". Her step-father was a Puerto Rican entrepreneur.

She graduated from Central High School. She studied music composition at Yale University, where she earned her BA, and playwriting at Brown University, earning an MFA.

"Charming, spunky, and ultimately heart-rending, ...
the car trip from Paoli, PA, to Yellowstone Park
is transforming and restorative." 
-- New York Times

 Camino Real Productions, LLC is an Albuquerque-based theatrical and radio theatre production company founded by Linda López McAlister in 2006. It is one of the theatre companies in residence at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Hispanic art and culture at the local, state, national, and international levels.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Shimon Peres Looks for Work

Let's Hear It for Shimi P! The news this week - the first full week after a series of Too Many Yontifs - seems to have gone from bad to worse.

That's no way to enter the realm of Shabbat Menuchah, Sabbath Peace.


So. Gary Rosenblatt, Editor and Publisher of The Jewish Week, reminded Abq Jew that humor can solve many, if not, alas, all, problems. In a nice article about Israel's ex-President, Shimon Peres.
The world has long known that Shimon Peres has a talent for statesmanship, having been a national leader in public service for some seven decades. Now we find out he has a sense of humor, too. 
A five-minute video conceived by his screenwriter-humorist granddaughter, Mika Almog, and a group of artist friends, depicts Peres, 91, as a man looking for a job, having stepped down as president of Israel this summer. 
With a clever premise, first-rate production and some subtle messages of substance, it has gone viral since its release two weeks ago with 600,000 YouTube views at last count.
So here is the video. And remember:

You are as great as the cause that you serve,
and as young as your dreams.


Shabbat Shalom, Albuquerque!
Good Shabbos, New Mexico!

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Rabbi Judith Z Abrams, Teacher, Dies at 56

Scholar of 'The Other Talmud': It is with great sadness that Abq Jew reports the passing of Rabbi Judith Z Abrams, the founder and director of Maqom: A School for Adult Talmud Study.


Rabbi Abrams was the Guest Speaker at the Albuquerque Community Selichot Service in 2012. She spoke about the Jerusalem Talmud, the subject of her most recent book, The Other Talmud: The Yerushalmi: Unlocking the Secrets of The Talmud of Israel for Judaism Today.

In December 2013, Rabbi Abrams returned to Albuquerque (see Rabbi Judith Abrams Returns to B'nai Israel) to serve as Scholar in Residence at Congregation B'nai Israel. She also taught Master Classes at Congregations Albert and Nahalat Shalom.

Until recently, Rabbi Abrams led (via Skype) a weekly "Explore the Talmud" class at Congregation Nahalat Shalom.

Rabbi Joe Black, formerly of Congregation Albert, offered these thoughts via Facebook:
I just learned of the tragic death of my colleague, Rabbi Judith Z. Abrams. 
Judy (as I knew her at HUC in Cincinnati) was a brilliant teacher with a beautiful soul and a wicked sense of humor. Through her writing and teaching she brought the complexities of Talmudic discourse to thousands of students around the world. 
She was a pioneer of online learning. Her website, Maqom.com, brought Jewish sacred text and Rabbinic thought into all corners of the world. Her books were brilliant and accessible - a rare combination. 
She was a pure soul and a true scholar. The world is a darker place without her shining light. 
T'hi Zichrah Baruch - may her memory be for an eternal blessing.
Obituaries:

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Kay Wilson @ UNM Hillel

Terror Survivor & Peace Activist: Lobos for Israel and the Hillel at the University of New Mexico are proud to present a Shabbat dinner and discussion with noted terror survivor and peace activist Kay Wilson.


Kay Wilson
Terror Survivor & Peace Activist
Friday October 24 ~ 6:00 pm
Aaron David Bram Hillel House
1701 Sigma Chi Rd NE 87106

Kay Wilson is a British-born Israeli tour guide, jazz musician and cartoonist.

She is the survivor of a brutal attack in Jerusalem on December 18, 2010 during which two Palestinian terrorists stabbed Wilson’s friend Kristine Luken to death.

Wilson, who was also stabbed multiple times, survived by playing dead. Following the attack — while still bound, gagged and barefoot — Wilson managed to walk 1,200 meters until she reached safety.

Since the attack, she has been in demand as a speaker, addressing audiences on issues of human rights and justice for victims of terrorism.

If you'd like to find out more about Kay Wilson, Abq Jew encourages you to read her blogs for the Times of Israel here. A Wikipedia account of  her survival (and others' deaths) can be found here.

An excellent Jerusalem Post interview - What a waste, I’m 46 years old and I’m being murdered - can be found here. And here is a video interview with Ms Wilson:


Afraid of the old Sturm und Drang? Don't be!

Abq Jew has learned that Kay Wilson has her own website -



in which she explains why she speaks about her experience.
I speak about my experience because I consider it a Mitzvah** to share with you the lessons I have learned following my attempted murder. I wish I had been smart enough to learn these jewels long ago. I wasn't. Now I know, so I want to tell you what it means to be alive. There is a million miles between being alive and knowing what it is to be alive. 
I also have a hunch that a little bit of priority-arranging-in-life won't hurt anyone. I happen to have a few suggestions. 
In addition, I have learned some tricks for handling fear, hopelessness, loss, grief, pain, shock, guilt, anxiety, terror, wretchedness, depression, rage, suicidal thoughts, horror, despair, anguish, torment and country music. 
If I can communicate even a teeny-weeny bit of these life-lessons, then I believe the terror attack and the death of Kristine and Netta will not be in in vain. I want to see at least some part of our world become a better place.
Come & hear Kay Wilson!
Erev Shabbat @ UNM Hillel!
 

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Juliana Maio, JCC Visiting Author

City of the Sun: The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque is proud to present our New Mexico Jewish community’s annual celebration of the written word.

And the fifth (and this year's final) author up is:


Juliana Maio
City of the Sun
Wednesday October 29 ~ 11:30 am
Luncheon $25 (reservations required); book $16

Click here to register.

It's 1941 in wartime Egypt, and Cairo is playing host to a stream of refugees, spies and soldiers from around the world.

Jewish/Egyptian-born author Juliana Maio's enthralling historical novel sets a love story against the backdrop of an increasingly threatened Jewish community with the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood. Passion, espionage, and shifting alliances converge in a time and place that sowed much of the turbulence in today's Middle East, which Maio will also address.

Here is a forshbite (that's Yiddish for hors d'oeuvres, one of the most-looked-up words on the Internet) of what's in store for Albuquerque. 




Monday, October 20, 2014

Gail Sheehy, JCC Visiting Author

Daring: My Passages: The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque is proud to present our New Mexico Jewish community’s annual celebration of the written word.

And the fourth author up is:


Gail Sheehy
Daring: My Passages
Sunday October 26 ~ 3:00 pm
$10 advance, $15 at door; book $30

Click here to register.

Gail Sheehy, legendary author of the worldwide bestseller, Passages, turns the lens on her own passages in this gutsy memoir.

In Daring, we follow Sheehy as she overcomes the 'pink ghetto' of newspapers—"women's pages"— to conquer the gritty "man's world" of New Journalism.

Writing for New York Magazine and others, Sheehy walked city streets with hookers to expose violent prostitution, marched with protesters in Northern Ireland, and interviewed Egypt's president Anwar Sadat after he was targeted for assassination.

An amazing life told in person by the woman who is living it!

Here is a forshbite (that's Yiddish for hors d'oeuvres, one of the most-looked-up words on the Internet) of what's in store for Albuquerque. 




Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Nicole Mones, JCC Visiting Author

Night in Shanghai: The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque is proud to present our New Mexico Jewish community’s annual celebration of the written word.

And the third author up is:


Nicole Mones
Night in Shanghai
Thursday October 23 ~ 7:00 pm
$10 advance, $15 at door; book $25

Click here to register.

NPR's Alan Cheuse calls Nicole Mones' novel, "historical fiction at its best."

This page-turner reveals the saga of African-American jazzmen living in Shanghai in the 1930s, until the Japanese bombing of Shanghai and the outbreak of World War II. Meanwhile, in Vienna, Chinese Consul Ho Feng-Shan falsifies thousands of visas, enabling Jewish families to escape.

Based on true stories, Night in Shanghai is an entertaining look at a time largely forgotten. The presentation will include period slides and music.

Here is a forshbite (that's Yiddish for hors d'oeuvres, one of the most-looked-up words on the Internet) of what's in store for Albuquerque. 




Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Molly Antopol, JCC Visiting Author

The UnAmericans: The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque is proud to present our New Mexico Jewish community’s annual celebration of the written word.

And the second author up is:


Molly Antopol
The UnAmericans
Wednesday October 22 ~ 7:00 pm
$10 advance, $15 at door; book $15

Click here to register.

Tales from Tel Aviv to the Upper West Side, Belarus and beyond, Molly Antopol's debut collection of short stories depicts sympathetic characters struggling for footing in an uncertain world.

These provocative and haunting stories are intimate depictions of the lives of Old-World and New-World Jews. Antopol, professor at Stanford, recently won the National Book Foundations "5 Under 35."

Here is a forshbite (that's Yiddish for hors d'oeuvres, one of the most-looked-up words on the Internet) of what's in store for Albuquerque. 




Monday, October 13, 2014

Allen Salkin, JCC Visiting Author

From Scratch: The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque is proud to present our New Mexico Jewish community’s annual celebration of the written word.

And the first author up is:


Allen Salkin
From Scratch:
The Uncensored History of the Food Network
Sunday October 19 ~ 3:00 pm
$10 advance, $15 at door; book $17

Click here to register.

Sausage-making and scandals, Garten (Ina) and gossip, Salkin's dishy behind-the scenes history of the Food Network and the celebrity chefs it made famous will fascinate anyone interested in food, media, and after-hours wheeling and dealing. 

As a reporter for The New York Times, Salkin has written hundreds of features about food, culture, and media. This book is an exhilarating roller coaster ride from chaos to conquest—and sometimes back again. Anecdotes, slides and video clips will bring these real tales to life.

Here is a forshbite (that's Yiddish for hors d'oeuvres, one of the most-looked-up words on the Internet) of what's in store for Albuquerque. 




Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The Great Hosanna

More, As Promised: Abq Jew knows. You've never even heard of Hoshana Rabbah. That's OK. Hoshana Rabbah is not generally considered one of your Top 10 Jewish Holidays. It may not even make the Top 20. Or the Top 100.


But here is what Hoshana Rabbah is: It's the seventh day of Sukkot.

But wait! There's more!

First of all, you must (you must!) recall that, on each of the first six days of Sukkot, we circle the synagogue while holding our lulav and etrog (except on Shabbat) and reciting various Psalms. The circle is called a hakafa (yes, just like on Simchat Torah), and we do it one time per day only.

But on the seventh (7 = the Jewish number for completion) day, Hoshana Rabbah, the "Great Hoshana," we circle the synagogue seven "complete" times - just like Joshua at Jericho, although with results that won't alarm the Building Committee.

And in case you were wondering - Hoshannah Rabba can never fall on Shabbat (see Nineteen and Twenty-Eight and Praying for Precip).

So far, this is relatively straightforward.

But wait! It gets weirder!

According to an article in My Jewish Learning:
After the seven circuits, the four species are put aside and bunches of willows are taken in the hand and these are beaten on the ground three times so that the leaves fall off. The usual explanation of this rite is that it is a symbolic representation either of the rain, required at this season, which beats on the leaves, or of the leaves which fall from the trees until these are revived by the rain. 
Further elaborations were introduced under the influence of the Kabbalah in which this day is seen as the culmination of the penitential season beginning on Rosh HaShanah and continuing through to Yom Kippur. 
Part of the service is chanted in the solemn mode of Rosh Ha‑Shanah and Yom Kippur, the Reader wears white robes, and references are made to the 'sealing' of human destiny for the year ahead.
There was a widespread superstition that if a man failed to see his shadow by the light of the moon on Hoshanah Rabbah night he would not live out the year. 
The mood of Hoshanah Rabbah, falling as it does on Tabernacles, the special season of rejoicing, is thus a blend of joy and solemnity. 
Hoshanah Rabbah belongs to the intermediate days of the festivals on which there are fewer restrictions on work being done. 


Alas, poor willow. For, as another article in My Jewish Learning explains
As we now practice the ritual of the aravah [willow that is beat on Hoshanah Rabbah], additional aravot [willows] are provided to the worshipers just after the seven hakafot [processions around the synagogue] with the lulav and etrog, the last time the Arba’ah Minim are used that year. 
As the Hazan recites, “A voice brings tidings and says,” the congregation strikes their aravot on the floor or against a solid object. 
It has become customary to strike five times, assuring that some of the leaves fall from the stem. There is no berakhah to be recited for beating the willows, and no uniformity about the required number of willows or beatings necessary. 
The silence that surrounds this practice, the diverse ways it can be implemented all underscore how strange this ritual is ....
And now, after learning (or reviewing) all this - aren't you just a bit curious about where in Albuquerque you might observe (by which Abq Jew means participate in) this strange ritual?

Of course you are!

Well, here is one place - Congregation B'nai IsraelAbq Jew is sure will have services for Hoshana Rabbah:


Until then  ....


Hag Sameach, Albuquerque!
Good Yontif, New Mexico!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Author! Authors! Visiting Abq JCC 2014

Book Fest & Visiting Authors: The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque is proud to present our New Mexico Jewish community’s annual celebration of the written word.

The JCC Book Fest & Visiting Author Series is in its seventh year of bringing new authors of high quality and importance to the Albuquerque community .

2014 JCC Visiting Author Series
Sunday October 19 - Wednesday October 29


This year's lineup includes:

Allen Salkin
From Scratch: The Uncensored History of the Food Network
Sunday October 19 ~ 3:00 pm


Molly Antopol
The UnAmericans
Wednesday October 22 ~ 7:00 pm 


Nicole Mones
Night in Shanghai
Thursday October 23 ~ 7:00 pm


Gail Sheehy
Daring: My Passages
Sunday October 26 ~ 3:00 pm 


Juliana Maio
City of the Sun
Wednesday October 29 ~ 11:30 am 

Much more to follow!


Monday, October 6, 2014

Report from Azazel, 5775

B'nai Israel's eScapegoat: Yom Kippur 5775 has come and gone, and Congregation B'nai Israel's eScapegoat (see Welcoming Our eScapegoat and Our eScapegoat is Here!) is no longer roaming the Internet collecting sins.


As all those who attended shul (even for a short period) on Yom Kippur know, that our inscriptions in the Book of Life are

Signed on Rosh Hashanah. Sealed on Yom Kippur.

For most of us, that's about as far as we need to go. This is what we were taught in Sunday School, and this is what we (fervently or un-) believe. But wait!

What many of us do not realize is that our inscriptions
in the Book of Life have not yet been delivered

And until the FedEx box arrives at the Gates of Heaven - and until the KBH (Holy One, Blessed Be He) signs for it - there is still time to repent.

How much time? Abq Jew hears you ask. Until, the Rabbis say, our inscriptions are

Delivered on Hoshanna Rabba.

More on Hoshanna Rabba later. First, let's take a look at the Top 10 Sins that Albuquerque's eScapegoat collected. (Click here to read them all.)

Top 10 Sins of the Abq Jewish Community
1. Thanks to my road rage, my 3 year old daughter has learned an impressive assortment of curse words.   
2. I wait for my husband to get the baby in the middle of the night,
even though I hear her first.  
3. I wait for my wife to get the baby in the middle of the night,
even though I hear her first.  
4. I haven't attached shul since I moved  to Albuquerque.   
5. Angry words that I regret ever saying.
6. I wish I had been a better friend.
7. Getting upset with my mother too easily.  
8. Instead of learning Talmud I watch Breaking Bad all day long.  
9. I'm sorry I can't do more to protect wolves.  
10. Don"t ask!!! 

Abq Jew (and, lehavdil, the Rabbis) remind you:

If you didn't repent by Yom Kippur,
you've still got until
what's the name of that holiday again?


More on Hoshana Rabbah later.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Ishmael and Isaac: Rosh Hashanah 5775

Drasha Diamond Number 7: In recent months*, Abq Jew has highlighted exceptional drashot that he felt deserved to be brought to the attention of a wider audience.

And Abq Jew invited any and all of the reported 24 ordained rabbis who currently reside in the Land of Enchantment to join in the fun. Today, we turn again to Rabbi Arthur Flicker of Congregation B'nai Israel of Albuquerque.

This drasha - another jewel - deals with the problems presented by the Torah reading for the first day of Rosh Hashanah. It is reprinted here by permission. Rabbi Flicker's got the copyright; all rights reserved.


Drasha Diamond Number 7
Rosh Hashanah 5775, First Day

Rabbi Arthur Flicker
Congregation B'nai Israel
Albuquerque

Ishmael and Isaac

One of the challenges of the High Holy Days is our first day Torah reading. It is not that it isn’t an interesting reading, from which many lessons can arise, rather it is the fact that the reading tomorrow seems to be so much more powerful and meaningful for the High Holy Days.


Tomorrow, we will read the Akedah, the near sacrifice of Isaac.

It is a powerful story of love and devotion to God. It is a powerful story of the challenges related to following the commands of God. And the end of the story, when Abraham sees a ram and sacrifices it instead of his son, offers us one of the reasons for the Shofar which is such an integral part of our High Holy Days.

It is such a wonderful Rosh Hashanah reading that the Reform Movement reads THAT reading on the First Day of Rosh Hashanah rather than the story we read.

So, why should we read about Hagar today, and not read about the Akedah until tomorrow? There are many more people here today than there will be tomorrow. Why not read the more powerful story today and save Hagar and Ishmael for tomorrow?


While there are many reasons for reading the story of Hagar today, one powerful one comes from the desire of the rabbis to answer some of the questions that many of us contemplate as we begin these High Holy Days.

Our liturgical text will refer to God in several ways during these High Holy Days. The text will refer to God as King. The text will refer to God as Judge. Using these themes for God, the liturgy suggests to us that we should stand in prayer and confession as if we were face to face with God – God the King and God the Judge.

It is certainly a scary image. Who among us can face God without any sins, without any guilt? If the rabbinic theme is correct, we all should be trembling in our seats.


However, few if any of us are trembling. That is because each of us, deep in our heart of hearts, knows that it really doesn’t seem as if God is judging us.

And if God is indeed judging us each year, then it appears as if God’s judgments are not fair or just. We can all see that good people suffer pain and loss each year, and bad people seem to reap rewards each year. God’s decisions don’t seem to be just.

The rewards the Torah promises don’t seem to be fairly distributed and the punishments seem to be completely random. That doesn’t seem appropriate for a true God of justice.

So on a certain level, as we contemplate the prayers and songs of these days, each of us sometimes wonders why God isn’t judging fairly and justly? As Rabbi Harold Kushner asked in his famous book, we all wonder, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”


It is an issue that isn’t confined to our own personal lives and concerns. Who hasn’t questioned God’s motives upon hearing of another major misfortune, or tragedy, or natural disaster in the world? We watch the news on TV and see houses and communities destroyed, innocent people killed and we wonder, “Where is God?”

We wonder how God could have remained silent during the Holocaust or why God is silent in the face of genocides in Darfur or South Sudan, or the kidnaping of hundreds of girls in Nigeria with the plan to sell them as slaves. Imagine, the open selling of girls as slaves in the twenty first century! Surely we have progressed farther as civilized people than that. Yet, it is happening and we wonder where the punishments of God are against people such as this.

I think THAT is one of the reasons the rabbis selected THIS Torah reading for us on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. 

Yes, it is about Hagar and Ishmael instead of Isaac. Yes, it doesn’t have the drama of the Akedah we will read tomorrow. But it DOES deal with the very issue of God’s fairness and justice.

Here is poor Hagar. She has done everything right. She did good work for Sarah. She obeyed her boss and bore a child for Abraham. She never violated any rules. And yet, out of nowhere, her mistress comes along and tells her she has to leave the camp and take her son with her.

And what about the man for whom she bore this child? He is prosperous with horses and servants and a good supply of food. Yet, all Abraham gives to Hagar is some bread and water – no servant to help her, no horse to carry her and his son, no significant food supplies to take care of them in the desert. He just sends her on her way.


Surely Hagar had a legitimate right to challenge God. “Where is the justice? She should be REWARDED for her loyal and obedient service! And yet, it appears as if she is being punished.

In other words, just as we were asking moments ago, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

The Torah provides an interesting answer. Although the general theme of the Torah is “reward and punishment” a different answer is given here.

Hagar places Ishmael under a bush and goes off to cry over her loss and suffering. Then we are told that God opens Hagar’s eyes and there is a water well. She gives water to herself and her son, they are re-energized and they travel on. We are told that Ismael will become the father of a great nation.

The water well was there all the time. 

The solution to Hagar’s crisis was there all the time. She just didn’t see it. The solution to Hagar’s problems wasn’t with God, it was within herself.

That is the lesson the rabbis want to offer us as we begin our High Holy Days. As we begin our season of reflection and repentance, the REAL question we should ask isn’t “Where is God?”


The question we should ask is “Where are we?” 

Why are we not doing more to be better people? Why can’t we see that, like Hagar, the answers to the challenges we face are all around us. Why are we silent when we witness the injustices and unkindnesses in the world around us?

It is easy to blame God. It takes away the responsibility from ourselves. However, the truth is that we humans aren’t doing a whole lot to overcome suffering in the world.

When it comes to curses, we humans far outdo God! We bring down far more calamities on ourselves than God does. We start the wars. We invent these horrific weapons of destruction. We pollute and damage the environment. What are WE doing about it?

Why aren’t we doing more against injustices? Why aren’t we speaking out about hunger, poverty, pain and suffering? Why aren’t we doing more as individuals and as communities?

Perhaps, before we blame God, we ought to ask ourselves what WE are doing to alleviate suffering and pain in the world.

Of course, it is easy to say that we really can’t do much about the poor kidnaped girls in Nigeria. Nigeria is an independent country thousands of miles away. Other than offering protests and some military expertise, there is not much America can do.

There really isn’t much we can do about Crimea or the Ukraine. We would like to bring peace between the Palestinians and Israelis, but there really isn’t much we can do about it here. As powerful as the United States is, we can’t be the police department for the whole world.

But the truth is that there are many challenges right here in Albuquerque and New Mexico about which we are mainly silent.

When that young boy, Omaree, was found kicked to death by his mother, there was an outcry. Yet, the programs designed to protect our children remain woefully underfunded and understaffed. I don’t hear people protesting this injustice. I don’t hear people demanding more protection for our children. Yet that is, in truth OUR job, not God’s.

Throughout our state, there are poor and elderly, mentally challenged and sick who need care and yet it is not being provided. Why are we silent? This isn’t God’s issue alone, this is ours as well.


The shooting of James Boyd, a homeless man with mental health issues, resulted in riots in the streets of Albuquerque – not over the issues of homelessness and mental health, - but over the shooting.

The shooting of Mary Hawkes a few days later, a young woman who was addicted to meth, drew more protests. However, the protests weren't over the lack of drug addiction treatment in New Mexico, it was only on police violence.

The violence is awful and deserves to be protested. There need to be changes in the training and culture of APD.


But where is the anger over our lack of efforts to curb homelessness, to help those with mental health issues, to help those addicted to drugs, to provide for people who are suffering, literally right in front of us on the streets of Albuquerque!!

We don’t have to look around the world for the challenges we face; there are plenty right here in our own back yard. 

Perhaps we shouldn’t be asking “Where is God?” regarding human suffering, until we can answer the question “Where are we?” as people suffer all around us.


Our High Holy Day liturgy continues the theme. On Yom Kippur we will chant the Unetaneh Tokef.

As it concludes, we will recite together, “Uteshuvah utefillah utzedakah va’avirin et roa hagezeirah – Repentence, prayer and good deeds can annul the severity of the decree.”


The liturgy is saying that, like Hagar, the solution lies with us. 

We need to open our eyes to the world around us. We need to see those who are hungry or homeless and find solutions. We need to see the mentally ill and demand the services they need. We need to see the elderly and infirm and demand that they be cared for. WE, not our neighbors. WE, not our fellow congregants. WE, not God.

During these High Holy Days, we are told to call God “Judge and King.” We are told that our behavior for the past year not only should be reviewed by each of us, but also will be reviewed by God and that God will decree who shall live and who shall die.

It seems so simple. Do good, and get another year of life. Do bad, and God will get you. And there is certainly a strong temptation to wish that life were so simple.

Yet, experience teaches us otherwise. It doesn’t seem as if justice is being fairly meted out.

Perhaps it isn’t so much God that doesn’t act with fairness and justice. Perhaps it is we who are acting without fairness and justice.

We reward ourselves with our personal successes. Then we punish others, and sometimes ourselves, when we allow our lust for personal rewards to blind us to the needs of others.


Just as God opened Hagar’s eyes, may God open our eyes to see the injustices and sufferings around us. And may we then be stirred to actions to care for those around us. 

And then, perhaps the world will no longer be cursed with that suffering. And then, when we gather here again next year, we will discover that we have been blessed with the caring community and brotherhood that God intends.


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Rabbi Arthur Flicker was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. A graduate of Northwestern University, with an MA in Jewish History from the Ohio State University, Rabbi Flicker was ordained by Rabbi Rueben Luckens in 1990.

Prior to coming to Congregation B'nai Israel, Rabbi Flicker served congregations in Tyler, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Columbus, Ohio. He always been active in community affairs, having been awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Spirit Award by the Cincinnati Baptist Ministers Conference. 

In Albuquerque, Rabbi Flicker has served on the board of the Samaritan Council, the Public Safety Partnership, the Governor’s Homeland Security Religious Advisory Taskforce and as a Chaplain for the Albuquerque Police Department.


A former public school teacher and coach, business owner and synagogue administrator, Rabbi Flicker brings a unique collection of skills to the rabbinate. Partnering with volunteers within  the congregation, Rabbi Flicker has brought diverse services and programming to our community. He has also encourage the participation of members of all ages in our religious services.