Vision Statement

“Ben Bag Bag said: Turn it over, and turn it over again, for all is in it. And look into it; And become gray and old with it; And do not move away from it, for you have no better portion than it.” Pirkei Avot 5:22

The “it” referred to in this teaching could mean many things. “It” could mean Torah, Judaism, community, family, the self. Plug each of these options into the teaching and you open up a world of possible learning and discovery. But I wonder, what does it mean to turn? Does it mean to reverse, to adapt, to change course, to destroy? Could it mean to view from many perspectives? 

To me, turning means creating new avenues and entry points into Jewish life. This idea sits at the heart of Reform Judaism; we restructure and revolutionize and reform the future of Judaism, while always keeping history in mind. This turning sits at the center of the rabbinate I hope to create.

My community organizing work at Leo Baeck Temple is a prime example of turning Judaism on its head to create new entry points into community. During the recent election cycle we took a group of 25 congregants to a swing district to engage in non-partisan get-out-the-vote canvassing. This was many congregants' first experience with canvassing, and they were nervous to speak with strangers in a strange neighborhood. We held a training at the synagogue, then loaded on a bus, dropped groups at various sites around the neighborhood, and the participants were on their way. As I dropped congregants off at their neighborhood locations, I noticed their faces were filled with anxious excitement, and when I picked them up they were filled with pride and empowerment. One congregant shared, “I would never have done this if it wasn't provided by the synagogue. I am so proud to be part of a community that does this important work.” I have heard many versions of this statement over and over again in the past few months. Serving a Jewish community means providing opportunities for rituals and practices that are familiar and that make congregants feel comfortable, warm, and nostalgic. Serving a Jewish community also means providing opportunities for congregants to grow, stretch, and learn, to lean into new experiences, to discover new parts of themselves within their Jewish identity, and to access the edges of their comfort zones. 

Little to nothing is known about Ben Bag Bag, except that he was a rabbi and student of the great sage Hillel. There is a tradition, transmitted by medieval scholars, that Bag Bag was a Jew-by-Choice. Some even say that he was the antagonist in the famous Talmudic story who asked both Shammai and Hillel to teach him the Torah while he stood on one foot. Hillel’s answer was, “That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study.” 

Ben Bag Bag’s identity as a Jew-by-Choice feels important. He came to the Jewish tradition with fresh eyes and a new perspective. By welcoming Bag Bag and his teachings into the Jewish community, Hillel (and the entire talmudic tradition) welcomed someone who could show the community the ways in which Torah and Judaism could be turned and seen from a new angle. 

Ben Bag Bag’s willingness to change perspective is one that I admire. So much of contemporary Jewish life revolves around the important work of maintaining Jewish communities, practices, traditions, and even the Jewish future. Maintenance is vital to the Jewish world, and at the same time, maintenance is not where my passion as a rabbi resides. Like Ben Bag Bag, I aspire to create Jewish communities with people who come to Judaism in many ways from many perspectives. I yearn to create communities where our love of Judaism leads us to experiment, to play, to turn our tradition over and over again until we grow old searching for new avenues of access. I dream of serving in communities where Jews and their families can express their identities through prayer, learning, art, culture, justice, nature, politics, food, or history. Like Ben Bag Bag, who was lucky enough to come to Judaism with fresh eyes and the realization that Judaism is strong enough to be turned and turned again, I strive to build communities where everyone can grow gray and old in an ever-evolving version of Judaism that they love.