History of Jews in Tunisia

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I asked a friend of mine, Jessica Setbon, to tell me about her family history as Tunisian Jews. Her husband’s parents  were both born and grew up in Tunis. She writes:

My husband Charly’s parents, Aimee and Serge Setbon, were both born and grew up in Tunis, the largest city in Tunisia. They were part of the large Jewish community there before immigrating to Marseille in 1959.

During WWII, Serge’s father was a train driver. He was killed when the British bombed his train as part of the battle against the Nazis in North Africa. Serge’s mother was widowed with three very young children. His body was never found and for seven years she lived as an aguna – a Jewish woman with no proof of her husband’s death. Technically she was still married. Finally, after his wedding ring was found,  she was released from aguna status and she took a job as a ticket taker for the train company.

Aimee and Serge both recall hiding in bomb shelters during the war to escape British and Nazi bombings. Aimee grew up in a tiny apartment in the Jewish neighborhood. They were a large family of six kids (plus two that died in childhood), but there was always room for guests as well as a bedridden aunt. Her mother was well-known for her open door policy – everyone was welcome and the house was always full. She worked very hard to feed the family and their guests despite a very limited budget.

In Tunis, Serge recalls going outside for entertainment. People went to restaurants and cafes, as the climate was mild. In the summer, they enjoyed three months of vacation and many people rented a little house or room on the beach. On Sundays they would go fishing at the beach and buy fried doughnuts coated with melted sugar.

Many people were born there, many times living and dying in the same house. Serge lived with his mother, grandmother, two siblings and a divorced aunt in a three-room apartment on Avenue de Londre, which was not in the Jewish quarter but where many Jews lived. Of 16 apartments in their building, only one was Catholic. The others were all Jews. His mother worked full-time for the railroad. The grandmother cooked for the whole family.

Aimee and Serge both attended highly-disciplined, secular state schools, which were separated by gender. They went to school at 8:00 a.m., came home at 11:30 for lunch, returning to school at 1:30 until 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. The would sometimes stay the extra hour for study hall. On Thursday there was no school. Twice a week the boys went to Jewish Talmud Torah at the synagogue – Thursday and Sunday. The girls didn’t attend. They learned the basics of Judaism and how to keep a kosher home from their mothers. Aimee’s mother taught her basic halacha and kashrut laws such as meat/milk, and how to clean the herbs.

Aimee went to an Alliance Francaise school for high school, and the high school girls and boys studied Hebrew in the evenings.

Many Jews worked on Shabbat, most kept kosher – at least 80% and tried to keep Shabbat to some extent. Instances of intermarriage were low, it was disparaged and almost unknown. There were Jewish youth groups – Bnei Akiva and Dror Habonim. Each year the ZOA hosted a Purim party and took the kids to the cinema – a big luxury in those days.

Food Traditions

Many Tunisian recipes were based on inexpensive staples such as couscous, beans, and vegetables, as kosher meat was very expensive. Almost no milk products were used in their cuisine, so they had no halavi recipes.

They could tell the day of the week by the menu. Each day, lunch and dinner had its specific dishes with no variation. Serge says that this applied to the Italians and the Arabs in Tunis as well, about 80% of the population was eating the same thing at the same time! Apparently, the Arabs had something different on Shabbat.

Weekly Menu:

  • Sunday- lunch: complet poisson – fried fish with fried eggplant and fried potatoes. Everything was fried in olive oil. Dinner was pasta with tomato sauce and barbecued meats.
  • Monday – bsal ou loubia – bean/meat stew with onions
  • Tuesday – couscous – because the bakery was closed on Tuesdays! This was typically served with fish or beans/meat, tripe, or pumpkin.
  • Wednesday – ganaouia – okra with tomato sauce, green peas (dried) with spinach and ‘azbana (stuffed intestine)
  • Thursday – hlallem – thin short homemade semolina pasta with mixed beans
  • Friday night (Erev Shabbat) – couscous boulettes – couscous with breaded/fried meatballs and vegetable/meat soup.
  • Shabbat lunch- dafina de blé (such as cholent, a meat stew that cooked all night long), nikitouche (homemade semolina pasta in chicken/meat soup) that also cooked all night.

The Jewish holidays also had set menus. If you reserved a hall for a bar mitzvah or wedding, you knew the menu in advance because it was always the same. For a wedding, the henna* party was followed by a fancy meal. The wedding ceremony was held in synagogue. Then candied almonds were handed out at the door and everyone went home. They didn’t have another big dinner like today.

Party Menu:

  • Brique a l’oeuf (thin filo pastry with an egg wrapped inside and deep fried)
  • fèvres (fava beans)
  • turnips/carrots in vinegar
  • fish in sauce
  • pkaela (stew of fried spinach with beans/meat)
  • Cakes fried and dipped in caramelized sugar.
  • More formal events included a pièce montée- a tall tower of pastries coated with caramelized sugar

At the time, refrigeration was not yet available in Tunis, so each day the grandmother or mother went to buy what was needed. On Friday, the Jews bought everything in advance for two days and made dafina (slow cooked stew) because they didn’t cook on Shabbat.

There was no gas and they cooked over a charcoal fire called a kanun. Serge’s grandmother rose early in the morning and lit the fire to make coffee and start breakfast. On Friday afternoons they placed the dafina on top of the fire and covered it with blankets. Sometimes the fire went out and it got cold, and sometimes it burned… It wasn’t easy.

In the kitchen, they had a stone fireplace. The charcoal was placed on top of the pot and the cinders fell beneath. Before Shabbat they would light two or three fires, at times filling the whole with smoke or going out altogether. They put eggs inside the pot and they cooked, turning dark brown. Or they cooked onions and ate them with vinegar and salt.

In 1959, Tunis became independent. The Arabs took power and Serge was afraid he would be for the army. There were many disturbances, with bombings and fires in the streets. The new government set a curfew, everyone was to stay home from 9:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. So Serge left Tunis at the age of 21 and went to Marseille. Serge was the first of the family to leave and was initially planning on moving to Canada. But he and Aimee were planning to marry, and Aimee was reluctant to move so far from her family. Aimee joined Serge one year later and they were married. Eventually, the rest of the family followed.

Serge did not have a French passport. Because his father was a war victim, he was given a special status by the veterans organization – “Anciens Combattants.” He showed his papers and they gave him an identity card good for ten years. They offered him French citizenship but he refused. He didn’t want to be drafted for the Algerian war or others. However, he was required to do a few days in the French army.

Following in her mother’s shoes, Aimee graciously hosted her relatives as they all gradually immigrated to Marseille. They remained until they were able to support themselves. She and Serge lived in a small apartment, but they found room and extra food for whoever needed a place. Guests would sleep in the living room and Serge’s mother also immigrated, living with them for many years. As a result, Charly grew up surrounded by family. His mother, who didn’t work outside the home, provided two big, delicious meals daily.

When Aimee left Tunis in 1960 to join Serge in Marseille, Aimee’s mother gave her seven gold bracelets. This was a Tunisian tradition called la semaine (“the week”), all the women (Jewish, Arab, Italian) received seven gold bracelets after they married. This was for decoration but also was a way of keeping money as there were no savings banks. Her mother Rachel lost one of the set. A year after Aimee was married, she returned to Tunis for a family bar mitzvah. She told her mother she was pregnant. Her mother gave her the six bracelets believing it was more important for Aimee to have them as a young bride. Aimee returned to Marseille and her mother died before Aimee gave birth. They named the baby after her. Eventually Serge gave her a seventh bracelet to complete the set.

Aimee says that her father and mother were distant cousins. Her father had actually wanted to marry Rachel’s younger sister Leah. But Rachel was older and the family convinced him to marry Rachel. When her father died in Marseille in 1990, Aimee and her siblings brought his body to Israel for burial in the Holy Land. Leah’s son Jacky was living in Israel at the time, and purchased twin burial plots for Leah and his father. Leah had died a few years earlier in France, and Jacky brought her to Israel to bury her in one of the plots. But then Jacky fell on hard times, and so when his father died in France, he was buried there because he couldn’t afford to bring the body to Israel. When Aimee’s father died and Jacky heard they were bringing his body to Israel, he offered them the plot next to Leah. By serendipity, Aimee’s father wound up being buried next to his first love, Leah, in the family plot in Israel.

*Henna gifts were seven pairs of shoes (one for each day of the week) and gold jewelry.
Source: Harrisa.com (in French)

—————–
As a complement to Jessica’s article, we’re providing a brief history of Jews in Tunisia.

Jews have been living in Tunisia for thousands of years, with stories dating back before the destruction of the First Temple. As a result of the Judeo-Roman War, a large number of Jews were sent to Mauritania, and from there many of them settled in Tunisia. Under Roman rule, the Jews were required to pay a capitation tax of 2 shekels and lived in tribes and clans. These settlers worked in agriculture, cattle-raising, and trade. In the 7th century, a wave of Spanish immigrants fleeing from persecution arrived, and the Jewish population grew.

In 788, Imam Idris sought to liberate Mauritania of Baghdad rule, Tunisian Jews fought in his army. They withdrew, however, because they were reluctant to fight the fellow Jews in Mauritania, as well as against Idris actions against Jewish women. Idris retaliated by attacking the Jews, but this was unsuccessful and peace was concluded on the condition that Jews pay a capitation tax and provide an annual number of virgins for Idris’ harem. In 793, Idris was poisoned and in the year 800 the Aghlabite dynasty took over the region. This was a brighter time for the Jews, as they had gained some political influence. As new dynasties took over, however, Jews continued to be persecuted in various ways, such as forceful conversion and making them wear special garb.

Under the Hafsite dynasty, established in 1236, Jews were able to practice their religion freely and had communities in Mehdia, Kalaa, Gerba, and Tunis. In Tunis, however, they were not allowed to settle inside the city until Sidi Mahrez, using his political influence, obtained the right for Jews to settle in a special quarter called the “Hira.” After the defeat of Saint Louis of France, Kairwan and Hammat were declared holy and the Jews and Christians living there were forced to leave or convert. They were forbidden to pass through these cities at night, and could only appear during the day with special permission.

During the Spanish Inquisition, very few Jews came to Tunisia from Spain and Portugal – the majority went to Algeria and Morocco instead. This was due to the harsh conditions Jews were experiencing in Tunisia at the time. They lacked rabbis and scholars, and were forced to pay a series of taxes: a communal tax, capitation tax, and general tax. Despite this, Jews were controlling much of the commerce in the country. During the Spanish occupation of the Tunisian coasts in 1535-74, the Jewish communities in the seaports suffered greatly under harsh Turkish rule.

The condition of Jews living in Tunisia steadily improved as European powers intervened, seeking to better conditions for both Christians and Jews

“With all the apparent oppression, the Jews are the leading men; they are in Barbary the principal mechanics, they are at the head of the custom-house, they farm the revenues; the exportation of various articles, and the monopoly of various merchandise, are secured to them by purchase, they control the mint and regulate the coinage of money, they keep the bey’s jewels and valuable articles, and are his treasurers, secretaries, and interpreters; the little known of arts, science, and medicine is confined to the Jews. . . . If a Jew commits a crime, if the punishment affects his life, these people, so national, always purchase his pardon; the disgrace of one affects the whole community; they are ever in the presence of the bey, every minister has two or three Jewish agents, and when they unite to attain an object, it cannot be prevented. These people, then, whatever may be said of their oppression, possess a very controlling influence, their friendship is worthy of being preserved by public functionaries, and their opposition is to be dreaded.” – Mordecai M. Noah (“Travels in Europe and Africa,” p. 308, New York, 1819)

Jews had a period of prosperity in the 19th century under the rule of Ahmad Bey, and his successor, Mohammed Bey, sought to make things better by abolishing rules imposed on them. However, after the execution of a Jew named Batto Sfoz, there was unrest amongst Jews and Christians alike and they sent a deputation to Napoleon III to intervene. The French government pushed Bey to issue a constitution giving Jews equal rights. Many Jews lived in Tunis at this time, being one sixth of the population. Jews lived in relative peace due to the country’s fear of foreign intervention, but a revolution in 1864 brought on a great deal of suffering for the Jewish communities, especially those in Sfax.

In November 1942, Tunisia was home to more than 100,000 Jews. Nazi Germany invaded the country, making Tunisia the only Arab country under direct Nazi occupation during World War II. Jews were forced to wear yellow Star of David badges, were subject to various fines, and had their property confiscated. Over 5,000 were sent to forced labor camps, where 46 are known to have died. Another 160 were sent to death camps. During this time, Khaled Abdelwahhab, a wealthy Tunisian landowner, helped rescue over two-dozen Jews from the town of Mahdia, where German soldiers arrived to expel Jewish families and turn their homes into barracks. Abdelwahhab housed the group at his farm until it was safe for them to return. He was the first Arab honored as a Righteous Gentile by the Holocaust remembrance authority Yad Vashem.

The Jewish community in Tunisia is now welcomed by the government, but anti-Semitic attacks have pressured Jews to emigrate to France and Israel. Today, there are about 2,000 Jews living in Tunisia, with the majority in Tunis and the island of Djerba.

The island of Djerba is home to a thriving Jewish community that lives, side by side, with its Muslim neighbors in peace. The community living there is conservative, practicing traditions dating back centuries. They have many small businesses, including gold and silversmiths.

Every year, tourists from around the world visit its famous El Ghriba synagogue. Although the building has only been there for about a century, the site is believed to have had a synagogue on it for 1,900 years. Lag B’Omer is a holiday that attracts many to the site. It’s the 33rd day of Omer, a day of semi-mourning on the Jewish calendar. Many parties are held, as well as a large festival.

Peak Population of Jews in Tunisia: 105,000 in 1948

Population of Jews in Tunisia: 1,700 in 2017

Further Reading:

Justice for Jews from Arab Countries is an organization dedicated to representing Jews from Arab countries and preserving the legacy of those Jewish communities. They collect and house personal testimonies and historical accounts of Jews from Arab countries. Justice for Jews from Arab Countries provides education programs and resources so the public can learn about the history of the Jewish people in Arab countries. You can read their account of the history of the Jews in Tunisia here.

History of Jews in China

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Jews have had a long history in China. Jewish settlers have been documented in China as early as the 7th or 8th century CE. Many more arrived as refugees from the Russian Revolution of 1917. A surge of European Jews and Jewish families arrives in the late 1930s and 1940s, seeking refuge from the Holocaust in Europe.

A wave of 18,000 Jews from Germany, Austria, and Poland immigrated to Shanghai in the late 1930s and the early 1940s. Shanghai at the time was an Open City, which meant that it did not have restrictions on immigration. Chinese diplomats such as Ho Feng Shan issued “protective” passports to would-be Jewish immigrants.

Chiune Sugihara, a key player in the Fugu Plan, was a Japanese diplomat who served as Vice-Consul for the Empire of Japan in Lithuania. During World War II, he helped thousands Jews leave the Lithuania by issuing transit visas to Jewish refugees so that they could travel to Japan and resettle in Shanghai.

In 1943, the occupying Japanese army required these 18,000 Jews, formally known as “stateless refugees,” to relocate to an area of less than one-square mile. Think about this: the total number of Jews entering Shanghai during this period equaled the number of Jews fleeing to Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa combined. Many members of the Chinese community later moved to and became founders of modern Israel.

Late in the War, Nazi representatives pressured the Japanese army to devise a plan to exterminate Shanghai’s Jewish population. Eventually their plan became known to the leaders of the Jewish community. By this point in the war, the Japanese had no intention of further provoking the anger of the Allies after their already notorious invasion of China and a number of other Asian nations, and they delayed the German request until the War ended. The intercession of the Amshenower Rebbe and the translation skills of Leo (Ariyeh) Hanin, the Japanese ultimately kept the Jews of Shanghai safe.

The Jewish connection to China endures. In 2005, the Israeli embassy to China held their Hanukkah celebrations at the Great Wall of China.

In 2007, the Sephardic community of Shanghai opened a synagogue, study hall, kosher kitchen, and began offering educational classes for children and adults.

Population of Jews in China Today: 2,500 in 2016

 

History of Jews in Morocco

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I asked a Moroccan Jewish friend to describe Moroccan Jews. He told me the following:

“The essence of Moroccan Jews are their warm hearts, welcoming nature, and their passion for tradition and keeping those traditions that were passed down from their parents, grandparents and those before them alive. These traditions are kept alive mainly during special and memorable events with family, friends and loved ones.

Some of those traditions can be seen on the Shabbat table, when you see the typical tangy and spicy red colored fish dish, Chraime for dinner on Friday, or the Adafina (also called Hamin in some places) on Saturday. You will see some to these traditions staying alive when you join a Moroccan family for Passover, and during the traditional Bibhilu, where the head of the household takes the Seder plate and blesses each one of the people around the table by passing over them with the plate…and bouncing the plate on their heads! Then once Passover is over, the “Mimouna,” where Moroccan Jews will share dishes and desserts with family and friends, in some cases going from house to house and enjoying everybody’s delicious recipes in their houses.

My parents always shared stories about how they would go out in Mimouna and not come back until after midnight or so, after going with friends from house to house around their Jewish neighborhood in Tetouan. And even where there is no food, like on Yom Kippur, you can recognize a Moroccan Jew by looking at those going to a synagogue wearing a white suit or white/bright colors; also by seeing the last ones coming out of the service in Yom Kippur. For some reason we always finish after the Ashkenazis. We can’t forget the traditional party for a Moroccan Bride before the wedding – the Henna. The big feast for the bride, family and friends, where she will wear the typical black and gold dress; in some case worn decades before them by their mother and her mother before her. Again, at the end, I think it is all about keeping tradition alive, enjoying those traditions with friends and family and making those special and memorable. Then passing those to your children and hoping those will continue to go down to their children’s children as it has for thousands of years.”

 In honor of Moroccan Jewish Tradition, Breaking Matzo features a number of Moroccan culinary examples such as Moroccan Chraime and Moroccan Charoset.

***

Jews in Morocco date back to the earliest reaches of Morocco’s history. Jews in the Roman Empire pre-dated Christ, and those Jews most likely migrated along the Mediterranean into what is now Morocco. They created communities and converted natives to Judaism. In the eighth century, Arab armies built up an empire that included both Morocco and Spain. Towards the end of the eighth century, Idriss I created the first Muslim state in the central and western areas of Morocco. With Idriss I fighting and forcing conversions, Jews and Christians fled to Moroccan regions not under his domain. In the early ninth century, Idriss I’s son, Idriss II, founded Fez. He invited the Jews to live alongside the Arabs in Fez. Although the Jewish community remained considerably restricted, Fez did offer opportunities for prosperity. Jews remained there peacefully for the ninth and tenth centuries.

In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Almoravides, a Berber tribe, created an Islamic empire that contained Morocco. They founded Marrakesh, the capital, near a Jewish settlement called Aghmat. Jews were not allowed to enter Marrakesh during the daytime, but nonetheless found relative freedom in this empire. Many Jewish scholars migrated to the empire and found it an ideal space to produce religious writings. However, in the twelfth century the empire was overtaken by the Almohads, who adopted a fundamentalist Islamic agenda. They persecuted Jews all over Morocco; Maimonides, who lived in Morocco from 1159-1165, advised all Jews to leave the country. Jewish communities were decimated, and, in some cases, completely eradicated.

The tides turned in the thirteenth century, when the Almohads were overthrown by the Merenids. The Merenids actually gave the Jews preferential treatment. When Fez was threatened with pogroms, the Merenids established New Fez so the sultan could ensure Jewish safety. In 1438, as the Merenids lost control of Morocco, they forced the Jews to live in a fortified area adjacent to the royal palace. This was the first Jewish quarter in Morocco; it was built on a salt mine and called mellah, the Arabic word for salt. All subsequent Jewish quarters were also called mellahs. The Merenids were overthrown by the Wattasids in 1472. The Wattasids neither challenged Portuguese expansion nor took a stance on refugees ousted by Queen Isabella, remaining relatively neutral. Many of these refugees passed through Morocco, with 20,000 opting to stay.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Saadian dynasty took over. While placing heavy taxes on Jewish citizens to finance the military, they also ensured Jews were financially stable by giving them a monopoly over sugar. This made Jews an integral part of the caravan trade. In the 1660s, the current ruling family, the Alaouties, came to power. Their first ruler, Moulay Rachid, captured caravan routes to ensure that Jews would help finance his new empire. He protected the Jews throughout his reign, although he continued the tradition of taxing them heavily. Moulay Ishamel, Rachid’s successor, stabilized Morocco and made Jews construct the Meknes mellah. This prosperous mellah attracted Jewish immigrants from all over Morocco, and Jewish traders grew rich.

After Ishamel’s death and a period of 30-year tumult, Moulay Mohammed came to power, establishing the port of Mogador. Mohammed required all trade to go through Mogador, and encouraged wealthy Jews to send their family members to Mogador as traders. Mohammed’s son, Moulay Yazid, hated the Jews, and from 1790-1792 waged pogroms on them, specifically targeting Fez and Meknes. However, sultans after him allowed Jews to rebuild in the mellahs, although these sultans had increasingly less control of the country. In February 1864, Sultan Sidi Mohammed issued a royal decree proclaiming that Jews would be treated as equals under the law. However, in the following years European countries were suspicious that Morocco continued to oppress its Jews. This seemed to be untrue, and in 1906 U.S. representatives praised the government for its treatment of Jews.

After the killings of a few Europeans in Casablanca and Marrakesh in 1907, the French found an excuse for an invasion of Morocco, occupying Casablanca and pillaging the mellah. The French and Spanish governments both took significant sections of Morocco from 1907-1912, making Tangier an international zone. By 1941, the Vichy government of France imposed oppressive laws upon Moroccan Jews, setting quotas on doctors, lawyers, and students, and forcing many Jews into mellahs. In 1942, with the arrival of American troops, the French closed off a few mellahs and eventually repealed the oppressive laws. The Sultan, Mohammed V, announced his opposition to the oppressive laws and asked Muslims not to hurt the Jews, saying they were loyal subjects. However, with the emigration to Israel and tumult from the Israeli-Arab conflict, two pogroms occurred in June 1948. These pogroms targeted two eastern towns, Oujda and Djerrada. Muslim leaders were deeply upset and personally met with victims’ families. After these attacks, from 1948-1956, 90% of Moroccan Jews left the country. The poorer went to Israel, while richer Jews immigrated to Canada and France. Today there are fewer than 7,000 Jews in the country.

Even though the Moroccan Jews remain relatively scattered, their heritage remains strong.

Worldwide, there are over a million Moroccan Jews.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Morocco

https://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-mhammad-bennaboud-the-muslims-and-jews-of-tetouan

http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/bengualid-ben-walid-isaac-SIM_0003890

*I would like to thank David Benaim and his family from Tetouan, Morocco for sharing their Jewish family traditions as well as their recipes for Chraime and other Moroccan dishes.

Peak Population of Jews in Morocco: 250,000 in 1940

Population of Jews in Morocco Today: 2,200 in 2016

Population of Moroccan Jews in Israel: 486,000 in 2011

Further Reading:

Justice for Jews from Arab Countries is an organization dedicated to representing Jews from Arab countries and preserving the legacy of those Jewish communities. They collect and house personal testimonies and historical accounts of Jews from Arab countries. Justice for Jews from Arab Countries provides education programs and resources so the public can learn about the history of the Jewish people in Arab countries. You can read their account of the history of the Jews in Morocco here.

Is It Possible to Run out of Tears?

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During times of sadness, is it possible to run out of tears? How can you hold space for others?

During periods of sadness, I have wondered, “Is it possible to run out of tears?”

I explored the Torah for an answer.

The person who cried the most in the Torah was Joseph. He cried 8 times in the book of Genesis. We can learn a lot about Joseph and his evolving relationships with his brothers in these moments of tears. His first cry was when his brothers first met him in his new role as the powerful leader in Egypt after selling him as a slave many years before. “Joseph turned away from his brothers and wept. Then he returned and spoke to them, and he took Shimon from them and had him tied up before their eyes” (Gen. 42:24). Joseph refused to cry in public. He had to be alone to fully express his emotion. The second time he cried was even more dramatic in showing his resolve not to cry in public and hide his inner heart. This was when he first saw his beloved brother Benjamin. “Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome with feeling for his brother, and had to cry. And he went into a room and wept there. Then he washed his face and took control of himself, and said, serve the bread” (Gen. 43:30-31).

It is possible that Joseph wanted to allow his brothers to repent for their selling of him into slavery. If he had cried in front of them, they would have known who he was. Joseph withheld his true identity in order to really observe his brother’s emotional evolution. This  enabled Joseph to hold space for his brothers and allow them their own emotional experience. Holding space means lending your courage and strength, and suspending your judgment. It means creating a safe environment for someone you care for to exorcise the hurt within them. Allowing his brothers to witness their authentic experience and reacting with love and acceptance was a powerful way of supporting them.

Joseph’s third cry was when he finally opened his heart and soul. This is the great climax of the Joseph story, the moment when he is confronted by his brother Judah, who tells him of his father’s years of grief and mourning. Joseph was so moved to hear that his father was still Alive, he dropped his shield of pretense and allowed a cathartic release of emotion. And Joseph could not control himself. To all those standing in attendance, he cried out, “‘Take every man away from me!’ So, there was no one else standing there when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And his sobs were so loud that all of Egypt could hear, and they were even heard in the House of Pharaoh” (Gen. 45:1-2). He experienced a range of emotions. He held space for his brothers to repent and Grow. He then experienced new soul cries in the passage and released a flood of emotion.

Joseph cries and cries and cries and cries. And he no longer turns away and hides his face, no longer washes away his tears. He cries openly and without restraint.

Joseph experienced a range of emotions during Genesis and his crying reflected his emotional variability. His early tears were alone. His final tears were released in a flood of emotion. He had a variety of tears.

Not all crying is the same. I wondered about the nature of tears. Interestingly there are three types of tears. Basal tears flow continuously in order to keep the eyelids from sticking on the eye. Reflex tears respond when something gets in your eyes and the reflex tears help wash it away. The third type of tears are called emotional tears. They really come from the heart. Interestingly, unlike continuous and reflex tears which are entirely comprised of water, emotional tears contain stress hormones like cortisol and thus help carry our stress away. This discharge of stress hormones helps stimulate production of endorphins which helps relax the body and mind after a “good” crying bit. Many of us actually feel more relaxed and soothed after emotional crying.

In one of my guided meditations, I have learned that tears of sadness can help water the seeds of our future happiness. And that You will never run out of tears. May your unending tears freely flow and enable your personal garden to blossom.

“Only eyes washed by tears can see clearly.”
Rabbi Louis L. Mann

Other Resources:

Genesis 45-46.

http://parshanut.com/post/134927500711/an-ocean-of-tears-parshat-mikeitz

https://www.google.com/amp/upliftconnect.com/hold-space/amp/

Esther and Moses: Finding Your True Self in the Palace

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Purim and Passover share an important connection. In the Purim story, Queen Esther saved the Jews from certain destruction from the threat of Haman. In the Passover story, Moses rescued the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land.

What do Queen Esther and Moses have in common? They were both royalty living at a distance—physically and spiritually removed from their people—in the unnatural comfort of the Royal Palace.

Courtesy of Gener8Xion Entertainment.

Courtesy of Gener8Xion Entertainment.

Questions for us:

  • What is our true identity?
  • What are we hiding from?
  • What will be the catalyst to truly and fully live our own lives?

Queen Esther hid her Jewish identity from King Ahasuerus for 9 years. Only after Mordechai warned her “you will not be safe…” did she reveal her true identity and act to save the Jews from devastation.

Similarly, Moses was a prince in Egypt and lived in the Pharaoh’s palace. It is unclear what he knew of his Hebrew identity. However, after witnessing the degradation of the Hebrew slaves, he begins an extended journey that eventually leads him back to the Egyptian palace, but now as the liberator of the enslaved Hebrews.

In both cases, Queen Esther and Prince Moses initially felt “safe and secure” in their royal palaces. In both cases, when they realized that there was a grave threat to their people, they then chose to openly identify with them. They were only able to help save their communities when they truly became themselves.

Over the Top

Queen Esther was confronted by her Uncle Mordechai to stand up for the Jews and help defeat the threat of Haman to destroy the Jews. Queen Esther felt that she was safe in her castle and did not need to stand up to protect herself or the Jews. Mordechai said to her, “Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the King’s Palace. On the contrary, if you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another quarter, while you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows, perhaps you have attained to royal position for just such a crisis.” Esther immediately understood her destiny and responsibility. She replied to Mordechai, “Go, assemble all the Jews who live in Shushan and fast on my behalf… I shall go to the King, though it is contrary to the law, and if I am to perish, I shall perish” (Esther 4:12-17).

Moses’ aha moment was slower to develop than Esther’s. Similar to Esther, Moses was member of the royal family (a prince) and felt safe and secure in the royal palace (in fairness, we know almost nothing about Moses’ life between his birth and adulthood). Moses left the palace and saw an Egyptian taskmaster viciously beating a Hebrew slave. In a moment of rage, Moses killed the Egyptian. Pharaoh discovered this royal breach and sought to kill Moses. Moses fled and wandered in the desert. There, while tending the flock of his father-in-law’s sheep, he came across the Burning Bush. When God saw that Moses had “turned aside,” He called to Moses from the Bush. Moses replied with one simple, but profound Hebrew word, Hineni, “Here I am.” This phrase is used in various biblical stories to articulate a person’s readiness for a calling. In response, God gave Moses his charge to “free the Israelites from Egypt” (Exodus 3:1-15). Still feeling uncertain about his capacity to lead his people, Moses asked “Who am I?” God reassured the new prophet that “I will be with you” and helped him gain confidence of his mission to free the Israelites. And with that, Moses went forth, embracing his destiny as God’s messenger of liberation.

One of my mom’s favorite songs was “I Am What I Am” from the Broadway show, La Cage Aux Folles. In reading about the evolution of the biblical figures of Esther and Moses I heard the words of this song echoing in my ears.

The Journey of Passover Can Help Us Land a Person on Mars!

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It all began when my daughter successfully graduated from Space Camp.

After a weekend at NASA’s Space Camp learning about outer space and how to get there, I started to ponder space exploration and boundaries. Seeing the photo above, I found myself reminded of the story of Passover and how it applies to today’s outer space discoveries.

During Passover, we refer to Egypt as “Mitzraim” in Hebrew. Mitzraim literally means, “narrow place.”

For Egypt, “narrow” has metaphorical and physical meaning. It can refer to the mindset regarding slavery in Egypt. In many cases, contemporary slavery can be the result of an encumbered mind – a narrow viewpoint that prevents us from seeing a broader or expanded perspective.

In contemporary life, the symbolism of the Exodus story resonates deeply. The process of escaping from slavery in “Egypt,” upheld by a narrow and encumbered mind, to wandering in the wilderness, and finally reaching freedom in the Promised Land (Eretz Yisrael/Israel), is still intensely relevant.

The physical meaning of Egypt’s “narrow place” is found in the heavily populated area surrounding the Nile.  Although Egypt is a very large country, the vast majority of its population lives along the banks of the Nile. This leaves the rest of the country in relative darkness.

One time, I took my daughter, Caroline, to Space Camp, which is part of NASA and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Hunstville, Alabama. While viewing the NASA space exhibits, I was struck by this photo of Egypt and Israel at night taken from outer space. The lights in Egypt are all along the Nile, literally giving Egypt a narrow physical appearance. The rest of the country is completely dark (see photo).
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As we successfully graduated from Space Camp and thought of our astronauts who have flown to outer space and landed on the moon, I was struck by the power of the unencumbered mind. Space travel is only possible when people leave the gravitational pull of earth and reach for the unknown possibilities in the stars. Astronauts fly into the darkness, not knowing the impact their light and journey will have. Similarly, the Israelites set out into the dark desert with a hope of freedom and light.

As we say at each Seder: “Next year in Jerusalem!” We continually hope and strive towards breaking past the darkness that may surround us.

Similarly, we have followed President Kennedy’s exhortation for our country to be the first to land a man on the moon, flying off into the great unknown. Now, we strive to be the first country to land a person on Mars.

In the next two decades, thanks to leaving behind a narrow and constrained mind and attitude, we will land a person on Mars! Our nation of dreamers is ready to further explore outer space, unencumbered by the obstacles that may arise.

Soon, our minds and dreams wide, we may be able to say, “Next year in Mars!”

 

Caroline Space Camp

Further reading:

Read about Jessica Meir, an Israeli-American Astronaut who participated in the historic first all-female space walk and who celebrated Hanukkah in space.

Here is an article about Jewish astronauts throughout the history of space exploration.

This article about how two Russian cosmonauts commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day in space.

You Can’t Quench Your Thirst If You Are Too Thirsty

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How self love is the most important love you can have.

Each Yom Kippur, I diligently and reflectively fast for 24 hours. Yom Kippur is a day set apart by the Torah for us to “practice self-denial” (Leviticus 23:27). This self-denial is typically expressed through fasting. I have traditionally broken the fast with a close family friend. He is an accomplished oenophile. He always serves the most extraordinary bottles of Italian wine, my favorite, for our break fast toast. Although I absolutely love Italian wine, our first glass of wine never really tastes that good. I have always wondered why. I recently learned the reason.

When I normally drink my favorite Italian red wine, it transports me. I love the flavors. I love the memories. Each sip truly tastes so good. However, at the break the fast, the first sip doesn’t react with my taste buds in the same way. I recently realized that I am too thirsty. Because my throat is so parched from the 24-hour fast, I really can’t taste the wine. I am literally too thirsty to drink. When I am normally sated and not fasting, I can truly taste each tannin of the wine. It magically transforms my taste buds to transport my wining experience.

I learned this distinction this year when I discovered the importance of self love. If you are so deprived of love, you can never truly receive the blessing of someone else’s life. You experience such a deprivation of love. If you have love for yourself, then you can more readily receive the blessing of someone else’s love. You are not so parched and thirsty.

Self love truly enables your proverbial wine cup to “runneth over” and to truly enjoy the blessings of friendship and love.

La Chaim! To life and self love!

Gam Zeh Ya’avor “This Too Shall Pass”

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Heartfelt thanks to Rabbi Daniel Gropper for sharing this poignant Rosh Hashanah sermon about difficulties we all face from time-to-time.

On the coffee table in my study is a cardboard box containing baseball cards of every Jewish Major Leaguer who played the game between 1871 and 2003. These cards are often the fascination of many a Bar Mitzvah boy and their fathers. All jokes aside, it is not an empty box. There are many more cards there than just Shawn Green, Hank Greenberg and Moe Berg.  One such card is of Bob Tufts. Bob was a Massachusetts native who, during the 1980s pitched in 27 major league games. According to the records from the American Jewish Historical Society, he is one of only six major league ball players who converted to Judaism. At the ceremony marking his conversion, Bob was asked if he would like to choose a Jewish name. His response: “Yes…. Sandy Koufax.”

Whether or not he knew it, even through his humorous response, Tufts was actually doing a very Jewish thing. According to our tradition, the act of naming someone – even oneself – is an effort to say something hopeful about the future of the one being named. When a baby, for example, is named after a loved one – it is done, not only to honor the memory of the person who passed, but also to express a heartfelt hope that the values that made that person special will somehow live on in this new life.

In a larger sense, we too, at this time of year, do our own kind of naming. During the Holy Days, it is traditional as we meet and talk with one another, to give names of hope to the year ahead: “Shanah Tovah – “A good year” — “Shana Metukah” – “A Sweet Year” “Shanah Shel Bri’ut” – “A Healthy Year.” These names, these thoughtful greetings to the season are our way of praying that these qualities: goodness, sweetness and good health will somehow find their way into this new year.

And yet… what if we know… what if we already know as we enter this year that, for us, the coming months really won’t be defined by goodness… or sweetness.. or by good health? What if I already know – that, either in my own life or in the life of someone I love – the coming year is going to be really hard? How am I to enter this new year? What blessing is there for me?

Some of us enter this year battling cancer and other diseases that turn our world asunder. Some are navigating a new life as a single parent, as divorce has upset the equilibrium of our lives. Others are waiting for the puzzle pieces of their family to realign after the death of a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a child.

Perhaps the following story might help, or at least lend some perspective….

One day the wise King Solomon decided to humble Benaiah ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, “Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it.”

“If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty,” replied Benaiah, “I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?”

“It has magic powers,” answered the king. “It can make a happy man sad and a sad man happy.” Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.

Spring passed and then summer and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day’s wares on a shabby carpet. There were rings and earrings and bracelets. “Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes a happy man sad and a sad man happy?”

The merchant had heard of no such ring. But then, as if by magic, the merchant’s father appeared. With an old gnarled finger he beckoned to Benaiah. As he watched, the grandfather took a plain gold ring from the carpet and engraved something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.

That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. “Well, my friend,” said Solomon, “have you found what I sent you after?” All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled.

To everyone’s surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, “Here it is, your majesty!” As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: _gimel, zayin, yud_, which began the words “_Gam zeh ya’avor_” — “This too shall pass.”

Rainbows Only Come after Rain

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Recently, facing uncertainty and feeling sad, a friend told me “rainbows come only after rain”. This really struck me. I was feeling sad, but encouraged I would someday see a rainbow. Although I wasn’t certain when the rainbow would appear, my sadness lessened knowing it ultimately would. I looked to the Torah for the meaning of the rainbow.

In Genesis 9, the story of Noah’s Ark unfolds. Basically, God instructs Noah to build an Ark in order to save his family and a pair of all animal species, because God was going to flood the earth and destroy all remaining inhabitants who were not aboard the ark. God wanted a reset and Noah to begin life anew. After the flood, God presented a Rainbow to Noah, signifying his promise to never to destroy all life on earth again.

“When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appear in the sky, I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature. The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise” (Gen.9:14-17). Please remember that we all have the blessing of God’s rainbow covenant to recover from any storm.

“Somewhere over the rainbow way up high blue birds fly….”

Please enjoy this video of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” as sung by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.