Synopsis of Good Shabbos Nebraska Season 1 Episode 2 - Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Rosenbaum

Season 1 of Good Shabbos Nebraska is so far a big hit.  The network (aka my synagogue board) has given the green light to go ahead with the popular talk show indefinitely!

Episode 2 of GSN featured the renowned scholar Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Rosenbaum.

We began by talking a bit about the devastating Pew report.  Rabbi Rosenbaum has a unique perspective as he has been a Rabbi of an Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform congregation.  There are not many people alive today who have that type of perspective.

I asked Rabbi Rosenbaum if he could tell us a bit about his education at Harvard.  He was a student of some of the most influential scholars of the 20th century, including Frank Cross, G. E. Wright, and William Moran.
He was a classmate of the famous scholar Jon Levinson and of Omaha's own Leonard Greenspoon.

Then we jumped right into the parshah.  This past week's parshah was lech licha - the origin story of Abraham.  Chapter 14 tells the story of Abraham's battle against 4 kings who teamed up to wreak havoc on the ancient middle east.  This chapter is unique as it gives us a clear understanding of the time period at which Abraham lived and some details about the rest of the ancient world at that time.

The chapter begins:

It happened in the days of Amraphel king of shinaar, Aryoch king of Elasar, Kidarlaomer king of Elam, and Tidaal king of Goyim.  

Rabbi Rosenbaum brought out a map of the ancient world and proceeded to show us which lands these scholars believe are being referred to and what evidence we have to the existence of these four kings.

This has always been one of my favorite chapters of the Torah and it was so enlightening to finally get some of the background story about what was going on at that time.  

Rabbi Rosenbaum stressed that the Torah is a sacred book but we should never forget that it informs us about history as well.  It is a reliable historical document that does not give us the whole picture, but no historical document ever does.  But just as scholars use the works of Homer and the Epic of Gilgamesh to find clues about the ancient world that can then be reinforced with archaeological evidence, the Torah is an invaluable document that sheds light on the time period of which it speaks.  

After every episode of GSN we have a kiddush lunch which the entire community is invited to.

After the kiddush he spoke about the dark underbelly of modern archaeology.  Apparently there are forgeries circulating that are so authentic that they can fool some of the top experts on the ancient world.  The reason for this is that these forgeries are being manufactured by people who have extensive academic archaeological training themselves.  Apparently, there is more money in selling forgeries of priceless antiquities than there is in being an associate professor at of ancient history. 

This is a big problem for many reasons, not the least of which being that by manufacturing false antiquities people can reconstruct or construct false histories that are now backed up by "evidence."  

It was a great episode of GSN.  

Next week our annual AIPAC Shabbos.  Our guest on Good Shabbos Nebraska is Dr. Jonathan Adelman of the University of Denver.  Dr. Adelman was the dissertation adviser of Condalisa Rise, and he has written about and lectured extensively about the Middle East, China, Russia, and just about everything.  It is a pleasure to welcome him back to Omaha again.  It is going to be a great Shabbos!

Rabbi Rosenbaum and the Legacy of Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Grodzinsky

Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Grodzinsky was a great Rabbinic figure who lived in Omaha, Nebraska from 1891 until his death in 1947.  Rabbi Grodzinsky was a prolific author of Jewish law and considered at the time to be one of the greatest Torah scholars in America.  He was a cousin of the famed Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky, who was considered to be the greatest Rabbi in the world before the Holocaust.

In the 1980s Rabbi Jonathan Rosenbaum researched the life of Zvi Hirsch Grodzinsky and wrote a scholarly paper that is until today considered to be the authoritative essay on the life of this Torah scholar.  

This Shabbos Rabbi Rosenbaum is the guest on Good Shabbos Nebraska - America's favorite Shabbos morning talk show. 

Today we were at the Rose Blumkin Jewish home and we ran into Melvin Tatelman and his son Mark Tatelman.  Melvin is married to Rabbi Grodzinsky's granddaughter and Mark is Rabbi Grodzinsky's great grandson.  

I introduced Rabbi Rosenbaum to the Tatelman's and we sat down and learned some Torah together.

Rabbi Rosenbaum learning Torah with 

the descendants of Zvi Hirsch Grodzinsky

This was a great honor for Rabbi Rosenbaum to learn with them and they were so grateful that Rabbi Rosenbaum ensured that the legacy of Rabbi Grodzinsky will live on.  

Tomorrow Rabbi Rosenbaum will talk a little about Rabbi Grodzinsky, but mostly about his expertize in Biblical archaeology, having studied at Harvard under some of the most influential scholars in the field and having been the deputy director of the Ein Gedi excavation in Israel.

It is going to be a great Shabbos.  It all begins at 10am every Shabbos ONLY at Beth Israel.

Episode 2 of Good Shabbos Nebraska to air this week! Special Guest Dr. Jonathan Rosenbaum.

Guest post by the Beth Israel office manager Jeannie Nickels.

Episode 2 of Good Shabbos Nebraska (GSN) airs on Shabbos, October 12, 2013.  Rabbi Gross will be talking with special guest , Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Rosenbaum. 

Rabbi Rosenbaum is a specialist in Biblical history, the paleography and epigraphy of ancient Semitic languages, and American Jewish history. 

He was  the University of Hartford's first Maurice Greenberg Professor of Judaic Studies and director of its Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies from 1986 to 1998. He conceived and helped guide the Henry Luce Forum in Abrahamic Religions, a program jointly sponsored by the University of Hartford devoted to advancing scholarship concerning and mutual understanding among American Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

From 1995 to 1998 Rosenbaum served as a deputy director of the Ein Gedi Archaeological Expedition in Israel. 

He was president of Gratz College from 1998-2009, and he now serves as president emeritus. 

A rarity in the contemporary Jewish world, Rabbi Rosenbaum has served as a rabbi in Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox congregations. During his student years at HUC-JIR, he held a student rabbi position at Congregation Israel (Reform), Galesburg, IL (1970-1972). While at Harvard he was assistant rabbi, Temple Israel (Conservative), Swampscott, MA, (1972–76), and then a part-time rabbi of Congregation Israel (Conservative), Danville, IL (1976–84). From 1994 to 1998 he was rabbi of Congregation Agudas Achim, a mainstream Orthodox, century-old congregation in West Hartford, CT.

Dr. Rosenbaum has a strong connection to Omaha which formed when he taught in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska from 1978 to 1986.  During that time he was an active member of the Jewish community, a member of Beth Israel synagogue, and he was the study partner of Beth Israel's Rabbi Isaac Nadoff.

“My wife Susan, my children, and I consider Omaha our home, of all of the many communities that we have lived in we never found one that was more welcoming and committed to the ideals of Jewish life and living,” said Dr. Rosenbaum.

Dr. Rosenbaum is excited to be part of Good Shabbos Nebraska. In a recent interview Dr. Rosenbaum said, “GSN is indicative of the classic approach at Beth Israel. The openness to community and utilizing shabbos as an opportunity to engage and immerse in Torah.  The program is not called Good Shabbos Beth Israel - it is Good Shabbos Nebraska demonstrating how it is for everyone in the Jewish community.”

In an interview, Rabbi Gross said, “It is a great honor to be hosting a scholar of Rabbi Dr. Rosenbaum’s credentials and reputation.  I look forward to having a chance to interview him and learn Torah together with him.  It is especially nice to have something with deep ties to Omaha.  He made a great impact on our community that is still felt 30 years later.”

Every episode of GSN engages viewers with fascinating discussions on Jewish topics ranging from current events, history, philosophy, and of course the weekly Torah portion.  Say farewell to the pulpit and say hello to the contemporary synagogue experience featuring discussions that talk with you and not at you. 

Good Shabbos Nebraska airs every Shabbos at 10 am ONLY at Beth Israel Synagogue.  For more information visit www.goodshabbosnebraka com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Goodshabbosnebraska, and on twitter @GoodShabbosNeb.

Sex in the Synagogue

The first episode of Good Shabbos Nebraska turned out to be a bit controversial.

As a guest we had America's Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.  Shmuley is used to being on Talk Shows, and he knows what to say to get the audience excited.

I asked him about the book that he wrote about one of the most famous people in history, who billions of people around the world consider to be God!  So he spoke about his book "The Michael Jackson Tapes." He also spoke about his book "Kosher Jesus."

With every guest on Good Shabbos Nebraska the main topic of conversation is always the weekly Torah portion.  So we spent some time talking about The global destruction that occurred in parshat Noach.  God told Noach that he was going to bring about a flood that would destroy the entire world, millions of people, and Noach does not voice a single word of protest.  Noach seems to accept the oncoming disaster as God's will and only wants to know what he can do to save himself and his family.

Shmuley said this is why Noach is not chosen to be the father of the Jewish people.  Our father is Avraham.  When he was told that the wicked people of Sodom would be killed he challenged God's decision and demanded justice.  This concept of the Jewish view of challenging God is the subject of Shmuley's latest book "Fed Up Man of Faith: Challenging God in the Face of Tragedy and Suffering."  (after Shabbat he did a book signing and we still have a few autographed copies on sale at the Shul.  Call the shul and order yours today. This offer expiers October 15, 2013)

The parshah also discusses Noach's aftermath.  The Torah says that he got drunk and was involved in some type of sexual misconduct.  Shmuley used this as an opportunity to talk about his books on Sex, particularly his 1999 international best seller "Kosher Sex" and a preview of his upcoming book "Kosher Lust."

Shmuley had a lot to say about the sex stuff, and the conversation got pretty graphic.  The audience loved it, but I could tell that there were some in the audience who were getting uncomfortable.  When Shmuley finished I made a point.

"There are many Rabbis who would be squirming in their seats during that discussion.  Some people might feel that the synagogue is not an appropriate venue to discuss sex.  But the Torah tells us differently.  In the parshah we just read, there was a graphic nude scene, and the midrash on that episode speaks about Noach being raped by his son.  On Yom Kippur we read all about illicit sexual relationships.  Everyone here is constantly exposed to unkosher sex outside of shul through movies and television.  It is about time we had an open discussion about kosher sex from a Rabbi inside shul."

Good Shabbos Nebraska received a lot of positive feedback, but for me the most important feedback was from parents who thanked me for bringing Shmuley because they felt that their kids benefited from hearing a Rabbi speak so openly about the Jewish perspective on sex.

The first week was great, but the real barometer for success will be how many people come back this week, and next week, and the week after, and a month from now, and a year from now.  We are trying to change the culture of shul and ensure that when the next Pew study comes out the American Jewish community gets an A+ on our report card.

Every week on GSN will be a fresh and engaging discussion with contemporary Judaism's most exciting personalities.  This week we are hosting Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Rosenbaum, renowned scholar and archaeologist.  The Torah portion talks about Abraham and we are going to discuss exactly how much evidence is there that there even was an Abraham?

Good Shabbos Nebraska is every week at 10am ONLY at Beth Israel Synagogue.  Where every Shabbos is  Shabbaton!

Good Shabbos Nebraska premier receives high ratings!

This past Shabbos was the premier of Good Shabbos Nebraska - America's favorite Shabbos morning talk show.

Good Shabbos Nebraska is a radical experiment in Synagogue format.  It is an attempt to make services more engaging to Jews who are unfamiliar (or sometimes too familiar) with traditional services without compromising the integrity of our beautiful and meaningful tradition.  This is not an easy task, but after months of thought and planning we have come up with something that so far seems to be testing well with the Omaha audience.

Every week on Good Shabbos Nebraska we have new and exciting guests.  Our first guest was Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.  Rabbi Shmuley was perfect.  He loved the idea of Good Shabbos Nebraska and he really rolled with it.

The show begins with my opening monologue which is a short intro to the parshah.  I give over a few parshah bullet points and some quick insights into each point.

The show features a number of different segments.  Some are humor and others are educational.  The segments are conceived by, written by, and feature Beth Israel kids (with some help from the Rabbi of course).

This week we had a cute sketch by Elinor Dunning and Leora MacNamara that introduced the show and how the audience will participate.

The next segment was a 2 minute segment on prayer by Ilana MacNamara and Zoey Berman - otherwise known as Imac and the Zoester!  People from all over the world send them a meaningful line from any where in davening and one sentence as to why that line is meaningful.  Imac and the Zoester read two submissions every Shabbos to help people learn from each other and make davening more meaningful.  ANYONE can submit a line to Imac and the Zoester by going to www.facebook.com/imacandthezoester.

After Imac and the Zoester, Becca Denninberg came up on to the stage and we told everyone in the audience that this week was a special edition of GSN because it was RABBI'S FAVORITE THINGS - a parody of Oprah's favorite things.  While Oprah gives away gold watches and cars, we gave away the new Beth Israel coffee mugs.

The kids were great, the sketches worked and everyone had a great time.

Then we brought out our guest - Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.  And Rabbi Shmuley was awesome!!!

We spoke about his new book Fed Up Man of Faith which talks about challenging God in the face of human suffering.  It was perfect for Parshat Noach as we examined together the differences between Noach's reaction to a global disaster verses the reaction of Avraham that we will see in a two weeks when he learns that the wicked people of Sodom will be destroyed.

We also spoke about some of Shmuley's other books.  He talked about his relationship with Michael Jackson which he recently spoke about on Nancy Grace on CNN.

And of course he spoke about Kosher Sex and his upcoming book Kosher Lust.

Shmuley was absolutely phenomenal.  We had a huge crowd and everyone walked away with a new appreciation for Shul.  The true test will be how many people show up for Good Shabbos Nebraska Next week.  I am optimistic.  I think that the first show was a big hit, not only because of Shmuley, but because people want to come to shul.  They want to learn Torah.  They are looking for a format that speaks to them and I believe that Good Shabbos Nebraska is what people are looking for.

I hope to see everyone in shul again next week for another great episode of Good Shabbos Nebraska.

The Goal of Good Shabbos Nebraska

This week at 10am is the world premier of Good Shabbos Nebraska (GSN), America's favorite Shabbos morning Talk show.

The headliner this week is America's Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.  Shmuley has an incredible following in Omaha and many people are excited that they will have a chance to hear him in person at Beth Israel this week.

But there are also many people who expressed interest in coming this week who are attracted to the novelty of the talk show format of Good Shabbos Nebraska.

I have even been contacted by other shuls throughout the country who are interested in throwing away their own pulpits and swapping them for a talk show of their own.

People have asked me what is the goal of GSN..

As I have written in an earlier post, Omaha's Jewish community does not have a culture of Synagogue attendance.  Since my article, the Pew research center has released a study about American Jews and the future looks bleak.

I know that hundreds of people are going to come this Shabbos to hear Shmuley.  (We are probably going to have to cut off the crowd if it exceeds 350 - so come early to ensure a seat!)

But my target audience is not the "one and done crowd".  I am hoping to catch a pool of 75 to 100 Omaha Jews who see the program and say, "this was fun.  This is something that I would come to again in the future."  I don't expect that they will come every week, but if 100 people decided that they will come once a month, or when they see an interesting speaker advertised on the GSN Facebook page - even if that speaker is not an international celebrity - that would be a great victory for Jewish Omaha.

A Funny thing happened to Kevin Nealon on the way to Nebraska

Former SNL cast member Kevin Nealon is coming to Omaha in November performing at the Funny Bone Comedy Club.  It so happens, the very same weekend my cousin - Sheba Mason - will also be performing at the Funny Bone!

That same Shabbos Sheba will be my guest on Good Shabbos Nebraska - America's Favorite Shabbos Morning Talk Show!  Sheba is the daughter of comedian Jackie Mason - who is my grandfather's brother.  

About an hour ago Sheba called me from NYC to tell me the most incredible thing.  She was on line at a Starbucks and - of all people - Kevin Nealon got on line behind her!  She turned around and introduced herself and as they waited for their lattes she told him that they are going to be performing at the same club on the same weekend in Omaha, Nebraska!

It turns out Nealon is a big fan of Jackie Mason (he did his Jackie Mason impression for Sheba) and hopefully they will have a chance to get together in Omaha before his show.  Maybe he will even show up at Beth Israel to check out Good Shabbos Nebraska - America's Favorite Shabbos Morning Talk Show!

What a crazy coincidence!

This Shabbos we have America's Rabbi Shmuley Boteach!  It is going to be a great Shabbos.  But then again at Beth Israel every Shabbos is a shabbaton!

Shmuley, Genocide, and Challenging God

This week is the premier of Good Shabbos Nebraska, our new program at Beth Israel.  Where we dump the pulpit and learn Torah together as a congregation.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, our first guest is America's Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.

In preparation for Shmuley's visit I bought a copy of his new book The Fed-Up Man of Faith: Challenging God in the Face of Tragedy and Suffering.  (The book is on sale for only $10 on his website)

Shmuley addresses the age old question of Why do Bad things happen to Good people?

***Spoiler alert***

Shmuley challenges those who say that God has His reasons and we just have to trust him.  He should not accept that those who are suffering must have done something to deserve that suffering.  Rather,

"do as Job.  Assert your righteousness, hold God accountable, challenge fate, and demand that suffering finally end."

Shmuley is certainly doing his part to end tragedy and suffering in the world.  Just yesterday he held a massive event in New York City with billionaire philanthropists Sheldon Adelson and Michael Steinhart, featuring Elie Weisel and Rwanda President Paul Kagame.  The purpose of the event was to inspire a call to action against the tragedies going on right now in Syria.

Shmuley could not be coming for a more appropriate episode of Good Shabbos Nebraska.  This week, Jews around the world are reading the section of the Torah that talks about Noach and the flood that destroyed the world.  The flood was the first global genocide and it was brought about by God.

Join us as we learn the parshah together and hear from Shmuley what he thinks about this sort of Divine Justice and how the Torah relates to current events.

Good Shabbos Nebraska is every Shabbos morning at 10 am.  Only at Beth Israel Synagogue.  Where every shabbos is a shabbaton!

Introducing - GOOD SHABBOS NEBRASKA

This week is the premier of GOOD SHABBOS NEBRASKA -American's favorits Shabbos morning talk show.

The city of Omaha has 6,000 Jews of which less than 2% attend synagogue on any given Shabbos morning. That is not a healthy statistic for any Jewish community.  

As I mentioned in a recent op ed for the Omaha Jewish Press, the most authoritative polling institute for religious life is the Pew Research Center.  Without rattling off any statistics, the very fact that they call themselves the PEW center tells us that PEWs - those benches that we have in Synagogues - are a reliable indicator of a communities vitality.  The JEW to PEW ratio in Omaha does not speak well for our community.

I chose the synagogue business as a career path because I have always believed, and continue to believe, that shuls build community.  When people go to shul they become more educated Jews, more passionate Jews, and more caring Jews.

When people don't go to shul their Torah knowledge suffers, they become detached from the needs of the community, and they become apathetic and start to wonder why we need a Jewish community in the first place.  

I love the Omaha Jewish community.  I have dedicated the last ten years of my life to helping strengthen this community, and I believe that this wonderful community has great potential.  But if we are going to ensure the future of our community we need to come back to shul.  

So to meet the needs of our community we are completely revamping our Shabbos morning format and introducing GOOD SHABBOS NEBRASKA!  (check it out at www.goodshabbosnebraska.com)

The pulpit format has had its time.  Today people want a format that talks with them - not at them.  So we are opening up our prime time Shabbos morning slot, and instead of a pulpit - a desk, chairs, and a coffee mug.  Instead of a sermon - an opening monologue.  

And most important instead of the same thing every week - special guests every Shabbos.  Our first guest is going to be America's Rabbi - the one and only - Shmuley Boteach!

Shmuley is the perfect guest for our new initiative.  He is certainly no stranger to the talk show format.  He has been a regular on Oprah and he hosted his own television show -Shalom in the Home - on TLC.  He will definitely make for a great speaker.  

Shmuley is not just coming as a speaker.  Just like on Shalom in the Home Shumley is coming here as a consultant.  He is probably the most creative Rabbi in the world.  Good Shabbos Nebraska is a great concept, but to get it off the ground and change the culture of our community we are going to need the input of someone who know how to create systemic change.  And nobody does that better than Shmuley!

As I write this, Shmuley is sitting with Elie Wiesel and the president of Rwanda running a program in New York City on Genocide that will no doubt inspire tens of thousands of people to take action and try and affect the terrible situation in Syria.  

Shmuley knows how to inspire people to action.  And Omaha's Jewish community needs action!

My modest goal is to see synagogue attendance in Omaha increase to 4% of our Jewish community - a 100% increase - over the next year.  It may not seem like much, but it is a start, and we have to start somewhere.  

So come out every week at 10 am to Beth Israel.  This week Shmuley Boteach, and every subsequent week we are going to have A list guests learning Torah and speaking on contemporary, relevant, and interesting Jewish topics.  Check out the full line up at www.goodshabbosnebraska.com or like our facebook page for regular updates.

Omaha Jews, come back to shul.  Learn the Torah, learn the needs of the community, and understand the uniqueness and importance of being Jewish so we can pass down a substantive and meaningful tradition to our children.

My Service on erev Yom Kippur

Two years ago on erev Yom Kippur I had the unfortunate merit to perform the greatest mitzvah of all - the burial of a met mitzvah.  The following is an excerpt from my blog from 2011.

Today I also had a funeral.  I do many funerals unfortunately, but not like this.  The woman who died was born in 1937.  She was institutionalized at the age of 5 years old and remained there for the rest of her life.  Yesterday we received a call from an attorney who was placed in charge of her.  The woman died late Wednesday night.  She had no known relatives.  No friends.  Nobody in the world even knew she was there.  I had never heard of or met this woman before and I found that according to whatever instructions were left by her last family member, I as the Rabbi of beth Israel synagogue was responsible for taking care of her burial.  This was a true met mitzva - the greatest of all mitzvot that a person can do.  The Talmud says that if the high priest is going to do the Yom kippur service on the holiest day of the year and  the opportunity arises where he has to perform a burial for a met mitzvah he is supposed to abandon the Yom Kippur service and take care of the met mitzvah.  It is the most important of all mitzvot. 

To bury a met mitzvah is a great mitzvah, but one that you hope you never have to perform.  2011 was my first and last time - until now.

By some incredible coincidence, today I received a call regarding a Jewish man who passed away in his home and has no friends or relatives to speak of.  The funeral will take place tomorrow, erev Yom Kippur, at 3:00 pm at Golden Hill cemetery in Omaha and as of now I think I will be the only person at the funeral.

Tomorrow is a big day for any Rabbi.  I have sermons to finish writing, and unfortunately our great chazzan Ari Dembitzer could not join us for Yom Kippur, so in addition, I will have to prepare the davening as well.

So I can't help feeling like the proverbial Kohein Gadol going to do the avodah and encountering the met mitzvah - again.

But there is another ceremony performed by the Kohein that also comes to mind.  The kohein was involved in the ceremony mentioned in parshat shoftim called the eglah arufah.

If a corpse was found murdered in a field in Israel and the murderer was unknown the elders and the kohanim of the closest city would come out to the scene of the crime and perform a ceremony where they would declare - yadeinu lo shofchu et hadam hazeh - our hands did not spill this blood.
Rashi asks, who would think that the elders and the kohanim had anything to do with the murder?
He answers that if a person passes through a town, the leaders are responsible for that persons well being.  If something happens it was probably because they did not take care of him properly.

A Jewish man in my community died and he did not have a friend in the world.  We are not such a large Jewish community.  How did that happen?  As a Rabbi do I bare some of that responsibility?  Could I have reached out to this man while he was alive?  Are there other people who I could be reaching out to?  Is our community doing all it can for its members?

I don't know.

What I do know is that this is the second time that this happened and both times it happened on erev yom kippur.  I am generally not a superstitious person, but this coincidence has given me much to think about going into the day of judgement.

Yom Kippur is the day where all the Jews come out and go to synagogue.  I urge everyone, look around you this year.  If you see someone who does not look familiar, say hello and introduce yourself.  Maybe there are lonely people who could benefit from coming to shul regularly if only someone would give them a kind word.
I wish everyone a meaningful fast and may Hashem answer all of our prayers.
Next year in Jerusalem.