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July 2024
1. All of the discoveries mentioned contributed mightily to our knowledge of the past. However, an army of scholars feel the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is the greatest event in the history of archaeology. At least from the point of view of understanding Judaic and Christian history, nothing else comes close. Since the first discovery in 1946 of a cave in Judean desert containing seven ancient scrolls, over the next decade another ten local caves were found to also contain treasures. In total, the remains of about 870 separate scrolls have been found, consisting of thousands of fragments. All are devoted to religious subjects and date from the first or second century B.C.E., before the books of the Bible had been fixed or "canonized". This cache includes the oldest known versions of every book of the Bible (except Esther), many with "editions" of books never before seen. There are previously unknown psalms and prophecies, new stories of Abraham and Noah, and new writings claiming Moses as the author. There was a very torturous path in making the immense amount of Dead Sea Scroll material publicly available but this finally happened in 1991, so translations are now available to all of us.
2. The Talmud assigns the lighting of the Sabbath candles as primary but not exclusive obligation for women. When a woman cannot fulfill this duty, a man is supposed to carry on and perform the ritual. This applies even to single member households. The observant man or woman should still be lighting Sabbath candles and then saying the proper blessing.
May 2024
As many third grade Gimel students would know, all of these events provide an opportunity to say the Shehecheyanu, the blessing recited over something new or special in time. The English translation and spelling of the blessing itself vary but the sense is always very close to this: "Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this day”. The events range from lighting the first candle to eating the first fruits of a season and celebrating holidays; the Shehecheyanu always marks a special moment in time. The rabbis and scholars among us also know that the tractate in the Mishnah dealing with blessings, Berakot, prescribes several situations when this blessing is to be recited, such as moving into a new house or getting new kitchen utensils. Given that the Mishnah was codified almost two thousand years ago, this lovely prayer is woven very deeply into the fabric of Judaism, and that is indeed a blessing.
February 2024
According to Anthony Russell’s Wikipedia entry, Anthony’s performances have included klezmer music, opera, and early 20th century Jewish music. And he sings in Yiddish and also has an unmistakable operatic voice. He has developed his own special musical style blending Jewish and African-American music. Thus, at least as far we know he has *not* yet included Russian folk, Ladino or Yemenite music in any of his performances. How does an African-American kid who grew up on military bases around the US grow up to acquire such a range! He can probably master all these other genres and more but just has not gotten around to doing it yet.
Anthony studied Yiddish at Tel Aviv University. He is now recognized for his contributions to Yiddish art and culture by the national Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. Their website has over 20 citations of his work. CBE members who attended a recent February tour to the Center organized by our Adult Education Committee were quite surprised and then absolutely thrilled to see Anthony featured in an audiovisual exhibit there.
January 2024
Reverend Martin Luther King had a very special affection for Jewish people, and the feeling was mutual. In fact, during the heyday of the civil rights movement in the 50’s and 60’s, it is estimated that Jews contributed about half of the support funds – far out of proportion to their numbers in the general population or even the progressive community. It is worth noting that Dr. King also had a special connection with the Boston area. He received his doctorate at Boston University. His use of nonviolent civil disobedience to achieve social goals earned him a Nobel Prize as he further developed this great tradition that India’s great Mahatma Gandhi brought to the world’s attention in the 1920s. Gandhi in turn drew from the writings of Concord’s Henry David Thoreau and his essay "Civil Disobedience", which argued for peaceful disobedience against an unjust state.
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