A Parsha and a Particle Collider

Alana and I have been looking forward to Spring '08 for some time and we can hardly believe that is now upon us. With a wedding, an ordination, poetry readings and a new home on the horizon, this is truly the time of our lives. And, I think that one of our greatest joys comes from being able to start our own family with our extended New Shul mishpacha.

However, even with so much going on, I still can't keep away from the science stories. And, here's one that I came across this morning from MSNBC about the world's biggest particle collider, which is scheduled to be turned on later this year.

The inner workings of the Large Hadron Collider's ATLAS detector.
(Click on the image to make it bigger)
(Notice the man in the yellow hardhat in the middle)

According to the article at MSNBC:

The Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, is due for startup later this year at CERN's headquarters on the French-Swiss border. It's expected to tackle some of the deepest questions in science: Is the foundation of modern physics right or wrong? What existed during the very first moment of the universe's existence? Why do some particles have mass while others don't? What is the nature of dark matter? Are there extra dimensions of space out there that we haven't yet detected?

Some folks outside the scientific mainstream have asked darker questions as well: Could the collider create mini-black holes that last long enough and get big enough to turn into a matter-sucking maelstrom? Could exotic particles known as magnetic monopoles throw atomic nuclei out of whack? Could quarks recombine into "strangelets" that would turn the whole Earth into one big lump of exotic matter?

As a result of some of these concerns, a lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District court which "calls on the U.S. Department of Energy, Fermilab, the National Science Foundation and CERN to ease up on their LHC preparations for several months while the collider's safety was reassessed." The suit is seeking a temporary restraining order on the LHC to allow for a safety assessment which will include not only an environmental review but also a debate over the "doomsday scenario."

There's a lot more and you can read the whole story HERE.

Reading this article, I couldn't help but think of this week's Torah portion Shemini (no, truthfully, I really couldn't help it) which deals with, quite literally, playing with fire.

The parsha (Lev. 9:1-11:47) begins with the celebration of the completion of the Israelites' Tent of Meeting, or wandering sanctuary, that was to be used for worship on their journey to the promised land. On the eighth day ("Shemini" means "eighth" in Hebrew), after a seven day ordination of the sanctuary, God commands Aaron and his sons (Nadav and Avihu) to give a sacrifice on behalf of the people of Israel. Aaron performed the sacrifice as commanded and when he came out of the Tent, with Moses:

"Fire come forth from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the alter. And all the people saw, and shouted, and fell on their faces" (Lev. 9:24)

However, the very next chapter, describes actions taken by Nadav and Avihu which were not commanded by God. Actions that resulted in their untimely deaths:

"Now Aaron's sons Nadav and Avihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered before the Lord a strange fire, which God had not enjoined upon them. And fire came forth from the Lord and consumed them; thus they died at the instance of the lord." (Lev. 10:1-2)

One of the traditional interpretations, as to the severity of the punishment, is that Aaron's sons had not been commanded to offer this sacrifice, but rather had taken it up voluntarily; maybe in an effort to control or manipulate the power of God. This "playing with fire" resulted in them being consumed by it, perhaps as a result of their inability to control it.

To me, the parallels between this parsha and this particle collider are striking. And, what I'm currently attempting to reconcile is - How are we to know if we are in over our heads?

Indeed, how are we to find the balance between technological progress that will improve our lives (and even make it more holy) and that which threatens to consume all of us?

This will be the challenge of our new century.

- Dan

Synesthesia

Dear New Shul Members,
Please join me next week at the majestic Judson Memorial Church for this amazing show.
For more information, please visit my company's site at www.electricpear.org.
I hope to see you there!
B'Shalom,
Melanie

Synesthesia...

artistic telephone across the genres

This April, Electric Pear presents the second round of Synesthesia, the ambitious performance piece that takes an unforgettable look at how artists influence, inspire and steal from each other. It's a peak inside the dirty work of creation through the schoolyard game of telephone...with art.


Synesthesia is the culmination of five months of work by over a dozen breakout artists in 9 different genres – from film and dance to comedy and spoken word.

And it all starts with a fortune cookie...

This fall, the first artist chose a cookie and used the enclosed fortune to inspire his film. After a few days of furious work, he passed his work off to a writer, and, in turn, the writer created a piece that was passed on to the next artist - and so on, and so on..

Synesthesia brings the schoolyard into the theatre. It's live performance, documentary, audience participation, and a completely original look at the creative process.

April 2 & 3 at 8pm (no Friday performance)
April 5 & 6 at 7pm

Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South
Tickets are $20/$15 Students and available through SmartTix
(212) 868-4444
www.smarttix.com
No service charge for internet or phone sales.

Rabbi's Corner

RACE ENTERS THE RACE

By Rabbi Niles E. Goldstein

I find myself ambivalent about the whole Obama/Reverend Wright controversy. While, on the one hand, it's hard for me to believe that the senator would associate with a clergyman who espouses such vitriolic views (though only on certain subjects), as a cleric myself I realize that relationships between congregants and their spiritual leaders are extremely complicated. I am certain that I have said things or taken positions on issues over this past decade that some New Shul members have not agreed with; yet I know that some of those same members have needed me in their times of distress or pain or joy, and those shared experiences brought us together. I am friends with members whose own views I don't agree with. That's what a community is all about--relationships and dialogue.

All relationships are complicated, but the relationship between a pastor and his or her congregation has to be near the top of the list. People project their highest hopes and worst fears on us. Some think of us as messianic figures and treat us like gurus; others are openly hostile toward the authority that our office and training confers. Yet we are just people, as flawed and imperfect as everybody else. At times, we make boneheaded remarks. But we also support, teach, inspire, and challenge. And if we are very lucky, we can transform lives. That seems to be how Obama views his own pastor, and I understand the great power of that bond, a bond that allows the senator to treat Wright as his spiritual teacher and guide, even while rejecting his views. That's why I'm going to let this issue go. In the area of religion and leadership, we could all cut each other some slack.

Join MAZON's Passover Hunger Drive

Click on the image to make it bigger (and print out)

Here's some links to MAZON from around the web:

- MAZON's main page (Passover info, Hunger Facts, donate online)
- MAZON Facebook Page
- MAZON's YouTube page
- MAZON's MySpace page

Pics from our Purim Celebration

Here are some great shots from our "Folies-Esthere" with King Ahasuerus, Queen Vashti and Haman, just to name a few:

The King (w/Esther)

The Queen

Haman (Boo...)

Theology on Tap

I came across this article in the Boston Herald - after living for seven years in Boston, I still find myself slightly attached to the local papers (the Globe has a wonderful sports section) - and it reminded me of some of the things I loved about my time in that city as well as one of the aspects I love about the New Shul.

Here's a bit from the article: (click here for the full article)

At Theology on Tap, a religious lecture series held periodically at bars around Boston, beer and the Good Book are increasingly the norm. First belly up and order a cool draft. Then settle in for an intriguing spiritual discussion.

During a recent evening chat at Cheers, part of the “Portraits of Jesus” series sponsored by the Church of the Advent, an Episcopal church on Beacon Hill, the relaxed atmosphere was a big draw.

“It’s comfortable,” said Nathan Cleveland, 27, of Somerville. “We’re used to going out and having a pint with our friends.”

“We don’t sing hymns. That’s church,” added the Advent’s associate rector, the Rev. Patrick Gray. “It’s sponsored by a church, but it’s not church.”

Katherine Ellis of Hingham sips a pint as she listens to a talk on spirituality at Cheers recently.
Photo by Matthew West (Boston Herald)

To me, this series sounded so much like Niles' "Spirits and Spirituality" series and something that I would love to be a part of in the upcoming year.

Here is a little bit more from the end of the article:

At the packed midweek Theology on Tap session, Christa Carter, 25, of Roxbury, pointed out that often the church feels like it belongs to the previous generation.

“People our age are disillusioned with the church,” said Carter, who doesn’t attend Advent but regularly attends Theology on Tap. “I want it to be mine . . . to see how it fits in with our generation.”

“It’s a healthy place for a skeptic to walk into,” added Cleveland. “They can ask a challenging question and not be brushed off.”

The article mentions that part of the series included a “The Gospels According to . . . ” component which incorporated such influences as the Simpsons, J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Matrix” and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Which sort of topics do you think New Shulers would be interested in?

- Dan

Rabbi's Corner

THREE HORSES, THE SKY, & BEING HERE NOW

By Rabbi Niles E. Goldstein

I finally got around to watching the film "Michael Clayton," and one scene struck me as especially powerful and poignant. At the start of the movie, and then again at the end (I won't ruin anything), we see Clayton, the "fixer" lawyer for a high-powered Manhattan firm, pull over his car, get out, and walk up a hill to simply gaze at three majestic horses. He also briefly looks up at the blue sky. Then he takes a deep breath.

I won't reveal what happens next, but suffice it to say, this moment allows Clayton to escape the drama, the rat-race, and the madness that so many of us find ourselves in today--if only for a few seconds. Why can't we be like those horses? The sky? Why can't we just BE?

My take-away from that scene is that we all need to take a breather, not just now and then, but frequently. That's what Shabbat is all about--not "rest," but restoration. Even if you don't observe Shabbat, I ask you to heed its message: Live your life, be here now, and for God's sake, let yourself breathe! The rabbis say that "The day is short, and our task is great." But life is about far more than just our tasks. It is about our souls. So give yours a break, let it marinate in the sheer joy of living, and then, after you're revived and renewed, do whatever it is that you need to do.

What happens in Shushan stays in Shushan!

Seduction. Sedition. Scandal. Celebration!

King Ahasuerus and Queen Vashti invite you to spend a delicious and dissolute evening at the Royal Palace...here, anything can happen! Food, wine, beer and dancing girls!

Featuring The Cavemen and The Vashti Vixens!

Saturday, March 15th at 7pm

Not sure what to expect?

Here's a video from last year's celebration:



272 West 10th Street (between Greenwich and Washington Streets)

$10 for non-members of The New Shul.

Co-Sponsored by The New Shul and the 14th Street Y.

Come in Costume!

Freedom Song

A close friend of mine, and west coast classmate, Jay Siegel works at Beit T'Shuvah in Los Angeles, a Jewish rehabilitation center that deals with drug and alcohol additions. At the center, they have a Music in Recovery program, where the residents, with help from acclaimed Jewish composer Craig Taubman and director Stu Robinson, wrote an original musical called Freedom Song.

Jay mentioned to me that they are going to be coming to New York for a performance at Temple Israel on East 75th on April 3rd so I thought i'd pass along the info.

(Click on the image for more information)

Freedom Song is a powerful story that highlights the historic universality of the struggle to free oneself from external expression and internal bondage. The play uses the story of Passover and a 12-Step Meeting with original modern music as the vehicle to expose the pervasiveness of the disease of addiction and its effect on everyone in the family system. Freedom Song parallels a modern family Seder and a 12-Step meeting, bringing the lessons of historical slavery and personal bondage to all ages. Following the performance, facilitators engage the audience in discussion.

According to the St. Louis Jewish Light:

The play presents two groups of people, side-by-side on stage. On one side is a twelve-step meeting, where members confront their obstacles to recovery including a man who is estragned from his angry, abused wife, and on the other is a family's Passover Seder, where a daughter, who had been kicked out for a substance abuse problem, returns unexpectedly home. Using songs ranging from rap to religious music, and with emotional honesty and informal staging, Freedom Song sometimes echoes the Broadway hit Rent. Each individual in the cast shares his or her story of struggle with addition. The play uses the Passover story as a metaphor for their bondage to addiction.

Feel free to let me know if you want more info,
Dan