Personal Truths: The Good and the Bad

A Short Essay for the final days of Pesach:

You’ve heard the term personal truth. 

Sometimes it’s used to refer to flat-out untruths. Those instances don’t deserve much discussion. Other times, however, it’s used to discuss a perspective that though true, hardly describes the complete picture. 

This can pertain to many areas of life. Politics, health, community, just to name a few. 

This dynamic also plays out in spiritual matters, specifically with regards to belief in HaShem. We all perceive the reality of HaShem through our own lens. Some people see HaShem in nature, others in the depths of Torah study, some through prayer and meditation, and yet others experiencing the beauty of human connection. Which one of these is the true G-d?

The answer can be both neither and all of them. 

Without a shared and definitive definition our individual beliefs and experiences can fracture us to where we are worshiping different gods. Within the context of a collective shared experience, everyone’s personal sense become another slice of a harmonious picture. 

This is what the Jews experienced at the splitting of the sea. Until that point there were ample opportunities for the people to behold G-d and find their avenue of belief. In that sense we speak of the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. 

Our forefathers all perceived HaShem in a true way through their particular middah or lens, but each one was only part of the picture. At the Yam Suf, for the first time, HaShem revealed Himself collectively to the entire people. We all saw how our specific avenue of connection combined with everyone else’s to form a complete picture. 

This is an important lesson for us today. There are all sorts of opinions out there about many things. While admittedly some are flat-out wrong, there are many viewpoints that are valid, just different. Whether these opinions complement each other or create rifts depends on whether we can have a collective shared vision that encompasses everything. 

Will this be easy? Most certainly not. Is it possible? Absolutely!

Valuing Femininity

I had the privilege of addressing some students at the University of Minnesota about the topic of feminism and femininity. Here’s the video. It’s 40 minutes long. Put it in the background while you’re doing something else. I think it’s a perspective our world desperately needs. Let me know what you think.

January 1st Yarchei Kallah: Amira L'akum

WHAT CAN BE ASKED OF A NON-JEW ON SHABBOS?

The refrigerator light, the circuit breaker, the light switch, the air conditioner… these things happen one Shabbos or another to just about everybody. Or more serious situations like a trip to the hospital. What to do? Call the “Shabbos goy,” and problem solved. Is it that simple? For our latest Yarchei Kallah we delved deeper into this often misunderstood area of halacha and learn what and how one may request of a non-Jew on Shabbos.

Featuring:

• Shiur by Rabbi Meir Mintz on the halachic background of amira l’akum on Shabbos, with source materials. (Available here for download)

• Q & A session with HaRav Yechezkel Greenberg

“We Believe” Premieres

27 people registered for the first class in the “We Believe” series which premiered last night on Zoom. The class explores and clarifies the fundamentals of our belief and will meet every Wednesday at 8 pm central until we’ve finished all 13 Principles.

For an audio recording of the first class which covered principles 1 & 2, click the button below.

Over 60 People Spend Thanksgiving Morning Learning!

Here’s something to be thankful for. A community so dedicated to learning that many of them showed up in person or on ZOOM to learn about the intricacies of medical issues on Shabbos. Rabbi Dovid Biron began with a clear overview of the sources used in this relevant sugya. The Rav of Bais Yisroel, HaRav Yechezkel Greenberg, then answered questions submitted by the community covering a wide variety of topics including:

• Ice Packs

• Canker Sores

• Vitamins & Supplements

• Pets

• Marijuana for suffering Vikings fans

• Nurse & doctors working on Shabbos

• Melatonin

• Cough drops

• Indigestion

• Returning home after a hospital discharge

• CPAP machines

• Antibiotics

• Daily pills such as blood pressure meds

• Mouthwash

• Allergy medication

• Anxiety medication

• Band-aids

• Massages

Thank you Rabbi Uriel Gross & Rabbi Adam Crystal for all the arrangements and to Prime Deli for the refreshments!

Click on these links to join our email or Whatsapp lists to be notified of future programs.

WPIT Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Pinchas Landis

Rabbi Pinchas Landis, director of Partners in Torah of Cleveland and acclaimed speaker, joined the WPIT Lunch & Learn this past Wednesday to share his insights on the the upcoming holiday of Chanukah. View or listen to his inspirational message here.

Adapting in the Kollel and JWAY

JWAYers meet for a discussion in a large meeting room in the Graduate Hotel

In 2020, adaptation is key. We all have made changes in the way we do thing...our learning is no different.

In the Kollel we've made some changes as well. Larger programs are being reimagined or postponed, precautions are being taken, but we will continue learning!

Here are some recent adaptations:

• In the Building:

  • We have rearranged schedules and creatively used the various rooms in the Kollel building to maximize the number of people we can safely accommodate.

  • It's not uncommon to find every room/office being used by someone on the phone, on the computer, or behind a plexiglass shield giving a shiur or learning with a chavrusa.

  • New positive: With our new, varied ways of learning, chavrusas are better able to manage their schedules and there are less cancellations!

• JWAY:

  • Our regular Maimonides classes that typically have 20-25 students have been replaced by the Jewish Learning Fellowship which has smaller groups and two options: a 13 week, and a 4 week.

  • Instead of meeting in school classrooms, we have rented a large meeting room in the Graduate hotel to safely host groups of 10 or fewer.

  • While Shabbatons aren't feasible now, we have ramped up our one-on-one and online learning with offerings like the popular podcast fellowship.

  • Social events are critical in building a safe welcoming and growing JWAY community. We've creatively found ways to maintain that critical element with events that allow for distancing such as: Outdoor BBQs in Parks, TopGolf, or Outdoor trips.

• Programming Changes:

  • Many of our weekly programs such Partners in Torah and the Women's Navi shiur now functioning as hybrids with both in-person and Zoom options.

  • Our Yarchei Kallahs have been reimagined as we've cut out the chavrusa learning and moved the shiur to larger spaces such as Bais Yisroel.

  • We've been able to capitalize on everyone's newfound Zoom proficiency to collaborate with other communities on shiurim such as the Tehillim Project.

  • Audio: Podcast and audio recording are rising in popularity and we're adding new offerings such as Rabbi Breiner's Tefilla Va'ad and Rabbi Stoll's new Yorucha program.

Now we'd like your ideas: How can we adapt to help you learn more? Let me know

Converging Themes of Rosh Hashana: Part 3- Shofaros

Last night was the final shiur of the 3-part series by Rabbi Moshe Spiro on the Converging Themes of Rosh Hashana. Listen to the audio below, or click here for the video.

Converging Themes of Rosh Hashana: Part 2- Zichronos

Last night was Part 2 of the 3-part series by Rabbi Moshe Spiro on the Converging Themes of Rosh Hashana. Listen to the audio below, or click here for the video.

Understanding the Eruv

This Labor Day, we changed things up from our usual legal holiday Yarchei Kallah format. Rabbi Uriel Gross, coordinator of our legal holiday community learning, had the idea for a shiur that would highlight the topic of Eiruvin, covered recently in Daf Yomi. Rabbi Shlomo Francis, of Chicago, and co-author of “Laws of an Eruv” shared with the sizeable crowd an understaning of the foundations of the laws of Eiruvin, down to its application in modern day scenarios. With a masterful PowerPoint presentation, Rabbi Francis illustrated the complexities of today’s community eiruvin. He also gave kudos to Minneapolis for being at the forefront of communities who have upgraded their Eruv to optimal halachic standards.