Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld
September 29-30, 2023 • 15 Tishrei 5784 • Sukkot (Lev 23).
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Happy 5784!
Let's start the year with a question for your table:
Would you prefer a single restaurant in town that (like Mr. Kim's train) can dish up any cuisine? Or is the world a better place having single-cuisine restaurants?
(Doesn't matter as long as it's healthy?)
On Sunday afternoon I was treated to delicious and nourishing fare at the pre-Yom Kippur table of friends in San Diego.
The host asked everyone to respond to the question, "What do you hope to achieve in your life this year?"
My first reaction was that this is a highly personal topic that I'm not comfortable sharing in public.
But before I had time to think more about it he turned to me to be the first to answer. I don't love it when I ask round-table questions at my table and someone declines to participate, and I didn't want him to feel bad about asking, and I didn't want to be untruthful, and I for sure didn't want to be boring.... so I managed to say something that was (a) truthful, (b) meaningful, (c) not inescapably top-secret, and (d) hopefully somewhat interesting.
Here's the next question for your table: How would you answer that question?
That night, I participated in the Yom Kippur program ever.
It was a mixture of just about every flavor of Jew (and even some non-Jews) you can imagine - from the most to the least religious, from Ashkenazim to Sephardim, from Anglos to Hispanics to Persians to Ukrainians, with a likewise mixture of traditional prayers and songs.
In some ways, that ritual eclecticism felt off. Usually when you want Italian food, you go to an Italian restaurant, and when you want Chinese food, you go to a Chinese restaurant. Do you ever go to a restaurant that serves both Italian and Chinese? It might be convenient, but what would happen to the quality of the food?
I think that's a great analogy for this YK program - yes, there was arguably some loss of "quality" in terms of traditional liturgy, because compromises were necessary. But the losses were more than offset by the gains of everyone feeling they belonged. If you had such a restaurant, everyone could always eat together happily.
In philosophy, eclecticism can be criticized for inconsistency. But in the real world, those varieties of people can be the cliché spice of life.
Final question for your table - Is there any type of person (excluding sociopaths and psychopaths) that you absolutely would not want to have at your dinner table? Someone of the opposite political spectrum? Someone who believes in dogmas that you find objectionable?
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom
Let's start the year with a question for your table:
Would you prefer a single restaurant in town that (like Mr. Kim's train) can dish up any cuisine? Or is the world a better place having single-cuisine restaurants?
(Doesn't matter as long as it's healthy?)
On Sunday afternoon I was treated to delicious and nourishing fare at the pre-Yom Kippur table of friends in San Diego.
The host asked everyone to respond to the question, "What do you hope to achieve in your life this year?"
My first reaction was that this is a highly personal topic that I'm not comfortable sharing in public.
But before I had time to think more about it he turned to me to be the first to answer. I don't love it when I ask round-table questions at my table and someone declines to participate, and I didn't want him to feel bad about asking, and I didn't want to be untruthful, and I for sure didn't want to be boring.... so I managed to say something that was (a) truthful, (b) meaningful, (c) not inescapably top-secret, and (d) hopefully somewhat interesting.
Here's the next question for your table: How would you answer that question?
That night, I participated in the Yom Kippur program ever.
It was a mixture of just about every flavor of Jew (and even some non-Jews) you can imagine - from the most to the least religious, from Ashkenazim to Sephardim, from Anglos to Hispanics to Persians to Ukrainians, with a likewise mixture of traditional prayers and songs.
In some ways, that ritual eclecticism felt off. Usually when you want Italian food, you go to an Italian restaurant, and when you want Chinese food, you go to a Chinese restaurant. Do you ever go to a restaurant that serves both Italian and Chinese? It might be convenient, but what would happen to the quality of the food?
I think that's a great analogy for this YK program - yes, there was arguably some loss of "quality" in terms of traditional liturgy, because compromises were necessary. But the losses were more than offset by the gains of everyone feeling they belonged. If you had such a restaurant, everyone could always eat together happily.
In philosophy, eclecticism can be criticized for inconsistency. But in the real world, those varieties of people can be the cliché spice of life.
Final question for your table - Is there any type of person (excluding sociopaths and psychopaths) that you absolutely would not want to have at your dinner table? Someone of the opposite political spectrum? Someone who believes in dogmas that you find objectionable?
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom
and a Happy Sukkot!
Alexander Seinfeld
Alexander Seinfeld
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