Issuu

Tradition, Inspiration and Celebration · February 2022 - Adar I 5782 · Published by Chabad Tucson

Game on

A brainstorming session ahead of the Super Bowl

Something fishy

7 inspirational lessons and a humorous account

Welcome to town

New nuclear medicine chief is all about family

On turning 70

More important than wondering “What if?”

Diamonds in the rough The Tucson Gem Show has been a trendsetter for Jewish jewelers

MUSINGS

Advice for the unwary The Jewish outreach and education network of Southern Arizona 2443 E 4th Street, Tucson, AZ 85719 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rabbi Yossie Shemtov REBBETZIN

Chanie Shemtov OUTREACH DIRECTOR

Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Feigie Ceitlin Affiliates:

Cong. Young Israel, Chabad at the University of Arizona, Chabad on River, Chabad of Oro Valley, Chabad of Sierra Vista, Chabad Jewish Center of Vail and Lamplighter Chabad Day School of Tucson

EDITOR

Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin COPY EDITORS

Suzanne Cummins CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Feigie Ceitlin, Karen Kaplan, Tzirel Lite, Kayla Rosen, Mordechai Schmutter, Naftali Silberberg, Benjamin Weiss and Sarah Zadok PHOTOS

Jacqueline Soffer SPECIAL THANKS

Chabad.org

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES OR ADVERTISING

Phone: 520-955-9680 Email: info@ChabadTucson

Keeping Jewish is published in print periodically by Chabad Tucson and is distributed free in Tucson and around Southern Arizona. Chabad Tucson does not endorse any products or services reported about or advertised in Keeping Jewish unless specifically noted. The acceptance of advertising in Keeping Jewish does not constitute a recommendation, approval or other representation of quality of products or services, or the credibility of any claims made by advertisers including, but not limited to, the kashrus of advertised food products. The use of any products or services advertised in Keeping Jewish is solely at the user’s risk and Chabad Tucson accepts no responsibility or liability in connection therewith.

Note: “G-d” and “L-rd” are written with a hyphen instead of an “o”. This is one way we accord reverence to the sacred divine name. This also reminds us that, even as we seek G-d, He transcends any human effort to describe His reality.

By Suzanne Cummins

Most people do not ask me for advice - I just feel compelled to give it unsolicited. Free. I think of it as sharing. The recipients of my advice think of it as getting what they paid for... if they read it at all. But despite that, here is my current advice to help those who might otherwise go awry: Following your passion does not pay – literally. My son Ben wrote for an online soccer journal when he didn’t have enough other stuff to do after getting his bachelor’s degree. He didn’t get paid for this but I think there was a time he hoped he would find a way to monetize his passion for soccer journalism. It never happened. Ben figured out it is nigh on impossible to get paid for that soccer journalism, which he loved. That is called having a hobby. There are people who say that if you follow your passion in your career, you “never work a day in your life.” Those people either have rich parents or a high tolerance for poverty. Of course, you have to work when you are getting paid for what you do. You will never love all that you do in a paying job because you are getting paid for producing value – not for self-gratification. Students have told me that they want a job where they travel and get to spend time meeting interesting people. I want that job too! But I am pretty sure you won’t find that listed on ZipRecruiter. Because a job is not really about you – it is about the mission. I loved teaching – I really did. But grading papers all night in order to give students rapid feedback only made me feel passionate about getting some sleep. I don’t want to openly talk about the other kind of passion it did evoke because I would rather not remind G-d of my potty mouth during those grading extravaganzas.

I think the real goal is that whatever you undertake for your livelihood, you bring passion to your endeavors, and you put your heart into it. Whether it is where you self-directed your career, or where you simply landed, you are the source of your own joy. Sometimes you will be abused by unscrupulous employers. Sometimes you will be unable to garner enthusiasm for the job you land. You can strategically change things, as long as you stay agile, able to shift gears and make sacrifices. But eventually, if you are lucky, your stars will align and you will find a place where the balance is right. Your efforts will be emotionally rewarding enough to get you past the awful parts, and the paycheck will be sufficient to support you and your family. And you may even find that you passionately love what you are doing. Or at least you love what you are getting paid. Or if not, you can be (like my son Ben those years ago) impecunious but “one of a handful of Jewish soccer journalists in the

greater Tucson area.” For your information, I use my own advice for shul. At least for the Musaf service. When the reader repeats the Amidah, I personally want to take time for a snooze. Unless I missed the earlier Shacharit service, at which point it is all new to me and I am good - but I digress. For those rare occasions when I actually get to shul on time, passion is what pulls me through Musaf, not what leads me there. That, and the thought that a yummy Kiddush buffet awaits the not-too-distant future. The point is that bringing my own passion to the service gets me through to the cake. Did I mention that I love cake? P.S. I did not get paid for writing this piece. Or any cake. I am a bit bummed about that... — Suzanne Cummins is a Senior Lecturer Emeritus at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management

NEWS

Chabad’s newest center is in the Metaverse By Kayla Rosen

Wherever there are Jewish people, there are Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis and rebbetzins working to teach, guide and uplift them. Even when they are avatars. Welcome to the Metaverse, a collection of digital-based alternate realities developed to bring different aspects of life into the virtual world. As human beings dive deeper into the technological revolution, ideas about interactive media continue to evolve. The Metaverse is the next step: a virtual world where we exist as avatars of ourselves—working, learning, traveling and socializing, alone or with others, just as in the real world. This new reality promises efficiency and ease, and the opportunity to experience things the physical world often makes all but impossible with the limitations of time and distance. While many Metaverses are currently being developed, like Facebook’s recently announced “Meta,” a virtual space called Decentraland is one of the more fully developed to date. With a focus on social interaction, Decentraland is home to businesses and organizations looking to share their services with users—whether through social events, educational classes or experiential activities. For Rabbi Shmuli Nachlas and his partners—Rabbi Yisroel Wilhelm and

Torah study, community events, connecting with other Jews and shopping for Judaica. And while reality itself may be on a whole different plane in the Metaverse, Nachlas ensures that Torah will always remain the same. “The principles of Judaism are unshakable, and mitzvot are physical actions, meant for our physical world,” explains the rabbi. “We plan on being a space of inspiration and support, and to help connect people back to reality when needed, both spiritually and physically.”

tech-expert Alex Gelbert—it is the next place to connect with their fellow Jews. “If people are there, then we should be, too,” says Nachlas, who runs the Jewish Youth Network in Ontario, Canada with his wife, Chani. He and Wilhelm of the Rohr Chabad Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder, are committed to creating a fully operating virtual Chabad House like any other. The goal is “to meet and inspire Jews, wherever they are,” and they intend on building a presence on any metaverse that needs their support.

Morah Adeli Zimmerman presents a hands-on experience to students of the Chabad Oro Valley Hebrew School as they study about the importance of keeping kosher.

About a year ago, the partners had the idea to create a Jewish space in the Metaverse, and officially bought a plot of land a few months ago (using cryptocurrency, which is used across the Metaverse). They began building what they called the “MANA Chabad Jewish Center,” named for the Ethereum token that powers the Decentraland virtual reality platform, where Jews spending time in Decentraland can come to receive support and guidance, and learn about Judaism. Its plans include creating a place of

Nachlas believes that as technology continues to develop and expand, a Jewish presence must follow, reaching people everywhere, even when that may be outside of our physical realm. Decentraland boasts of developing a world in which people will “lose themselves.” And it is for those exact people that the MANA Jewish Center was created, says Nachlas, to be a light to help them find themselves again—one that can guide them and ground them back to this world. As Nachlas puts it, “We can either turn our backs on it in fear and disbelief, or we can learn how to work with this new reality to ensure the spread of as much Torah as we can,” a concept already quite familiar to the ChabadLubavitch community.

Chabad Tucson recently began printing additional copies of the monthly Keeping Jewish newspapaer to expand its readership, among them Jewish inmates of The United States Penitentiary, Tucson (USP Tucson).

NEWS

Kosher gems

How Tucson’s gem show became a trendsetter for Jewish jewelers

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

By Tzirel Lite Each winter, an estimated 65,000 guests from around the globe come to Tucson, Arizona, to buy, sell, trade, and view rare and enchanting gems, minerals, and fossils at multiple locations in the area. The gem show, as it is referred to by locals, takes place annually in late January and February with most of the shows open to the public. Certain trade shows, however, can only be attended by those who have a business license - these are where the precious gems are sold.

One of those exclusive shows is the AGTA GemFair Tucson of the American Gem Trade Association which runs for 6 days at the Tucson Convention Center. Noticeable among the colored gemstones and cultured pearls showcased there are the ones who are selling them: Torah-observant Jewish men and women. These dealers mostly hail from New

York and New Jersey where they are typically members of thriving Jewish communities which have for more than a century supported synagogues, schools and kosher restaurants. So when these dealers traveled to Tucson in the 70s and 80s for the embryonic gem show, almost half of their luggage contained kosher canned food so they could marginally sustain themselves while here. One such dealer was Jack Abraham, owner of the New York-based Precious Gem Resources and founder and owner of the Jack Abraham Precious Collection. Abraham, a founding member of AGTA, built his reputation as a pioneer of full disclosure with regard to the enhancement and origin of precious gems. He worked with the Federal Trade Commission to promote greater transparency in the industry. But when thinking back to his early days coming to Tucson for the gem show, Abraham noted, “It was not an easy experience or an especially pleasant one.” The

absence of a Jewish network here was daunting, so he was quite excited when he met a bearded Hasidic rabbi walking the hallways of the DoubleTree Hotel in 1987. That was Rabbi Yossie Shemtov who had been sent by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, to found Chabad Tucson a few years earlier, in 1984. “The gem show at the time consisted of vendors staying in their individual rooms to sell their wares,” recalls Rabbi Shemtov. “When my wife Chanie and I learned about the inadequate food supply for Jewish gem dealers, we set out to provide it for them. Chanie prepared sandwiches and I went around to hand them out.” That year, Abraham was concerned about observing the anniversary of the passing of his father which occurred during his time in Tucson. Though he thanked Rabbi Shemtov for the kosher sandwich, Abraham needed something more. He needed a minyan on Shabbat to say kaddish in honor of his father’s yartzeit, and he asked Rabbi Shemtov if he

could help him gather one. “Many of my colleagues and friends thought I was crazy” for trying to get a minyan in out-of-the-way Tucson, Abraham says. Little did they know that Abraham had just planted the seed for what would become an expansive Shabbat operation for gem shows around the world. Rabbi Shemtov readily offered to help Abraham. During his rounds of kosher deliveries, Rabbi Shemtov encouraged the Jews he met with to participate in the minyan. He even threw in a sweetener: He would spend Shabbat with them in the hotel and would provide a delicious cholent stew to enjoy after prayers.

Abraham still remembers that morning. “There were only nine people at first,” he said. Then, noticing a fellow Jewish man walking by, Abraham begged him to be the 10th and fulfill the necessary quorum of 10 people. The man agre-

HUMOR

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

ed but when Abraham honored him with an aliyah to the Torah, others present objected because the man wasn’t Shabbat observant. In typical Chabad fashion, Rabbi Shemtov interceded. “Inclusion of all Jews is the way to enhance the Jewish community,” he stated. The man received the honor and the tradition began. Within just a few years, Abraham’s one-room Shabbat minyan grew to full Shabbat accommodations organized by Chabad and a model for gem shows in Las Vegas and Hong Kong. The Shabbat program was initially held at the DoubleTree Hotel and later moved to the Viscount Suite Hotel and the Omni Tucson National Resort. This year, it will be held at The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa. No longer is the gem show an unpleasant work experience for the Jewish jewelers. All the vendors who have come to the hotels for Shabbat leave their booths at the show and have “the time of their lives,” according to Abraham. In addition to heartfelt prayers, they engage in songs and share words of Torah during the meals. In recent years, most

of the Jewish-owned booths proudly display professional signs, provided by the (AGTA) stating “Closed for Shabbat.” Rabbi Shemtov says serving visitors is just one more service that Chabad happily provides. “We meet Jews where they are,” he says. Some vendors call months in advance to make sure that everyone In their entourage has kosher food and a place to stay for Shabbat. This year, at the La Paloma, participants will enjoy glatt kosher sit-down meals, Shabbat services, and a small eruv so they can carry around the hotel. This is in addition to a pop-up restaurant serving gourmet kosher meals during the days of the AGTA show.

Abraham notes that while other gem shows have replicated the model set in motion in Tucson, participants say their favorite show remains the Tucson one. Here, they find not only wonderful weather, but wonderful and abundant food prepared by Chabad, and accommodations ready to joyfully meet their needs for Shabbat. “It means so much to us to have Rabbi Shemtov and Chabad in Tucson,” says Johnny Kordvani, Owner and Partner at A&D Gem Corporation in Great Neck, New York. “It’s close to 40 years that they are providing us kosher food during the week and he guides us during Shabbat and we appreciate everything they do for us.”

Ashkan Enayatian of Premier Color Source Inc in New York City sums it up. “When we travel all over the world for shows, we have kosher food and Shabbat programs these days,” he says. “But the personal touch of the Shemtovs makes Tucson unique. Tucson is where it all started.”

ESSAY

7 inspiring lessons learned from fish By Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin The Hebrew month of Adar has begun, and it brings to our attention its zodiac sign —the fish. It may be surprising to many that literature on Jewish mysticism includes references to classical astrology - and the fish is a symbol that has profound significance in both. I thought it would be appropriate to consider these aquatic creatures and what they might teach us. Here are seven lessons I’ve picked up from fish:

1. Keep a forward-looking outlook Most fish cannot swim backward (eels being a rare exception). Memories can ground us and help inform our decisions, but our sights should be set firmly on the present, with the goal of shaping the future. To paraphrase the 19th century Lithuanian Rabbi Israel Salanter, so long we are alive, we can still accomplish more.

2. Everyone moves at their own pace While sailfish can move at nearly 70 miles per hour, the dwarf seahorse moves at five feet per hour. The latter’s pace is so slow you’d barely be able to tell it’s moving at all. Even if our pace is slow, it doesn’t mean we are not moving at all. King Solomon tells us “Train a child according to his way” (Proverbs 22:6). Progress for one individual can look very different than progress for another. None of us should try to always be a sailfish. We just need to make sure we are swimming in a good direction. 3. Never let down your guard - about yourself Most Fish do rest but they never sleep as humans do. This is so they can remain alert about danger. When we’ve worked on ourselves and feel that we’ve reached a level of success, it’s easy to let our guard down. But as Hillel the Elder said, “Do not trust yourself until the day of your death.” Complacency can lead to backsliding, and losing much of what we have gained.

4. Your sharp edges affect you too The fangtooth fish is several inches long, but its teeth are so disproportionately large, it cannot close its own mouth. That physical constraint can let a lot of food just float away. Being particularly sharp or acerbic can be an advantage that prevents people around us from taking advantage of us. But having extrasharp teeth might come back to bite us or at least leave us limited by our inability to maintain social connections. 5. When a leader is needed, step into the breach Male angelfish live with a number of female mates. If the male dies, one of the females will change to male and assume the place of the fallen leader. This particular form of gender fluidity is about individual responsibility. Throughout our lives, we may rely on leadership figures to guide us along the way. But we need to remember that when confronted with a challenge that requires that we step up, we each have the potential to become a leader.

6. Don’t be a fish out of water Fish need oxygen-rich water to survive. The first-century sage Rabbi Akiva was once asked why he continued to study Torah at a time when the Romans forbade it. He answered: As water is to a fish, so is Torah to the Jew. G-d’s teachings not only provide direction and purpose but also is the secret to Jewish survival. 7. No matter where you roam, your soul can always come back home Salmon travel hundreds of miles and spend years in the ocean, far from their breeding grounds. And yet, when it’s time, they find their way back to the same riverbed in which they were spawned. Every human being was created in the image of their Creator and has a mission to fulfill during his or her lifetime. As far as we may ever stray from our true identity, we can always circle back to our roots as G-dly, G-d-conscious beings. - Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin is the Outreach Director of Chabad Tucson

HUMOR

Goldstein, Goldberg, and Schwartz There’s something fishy around our house By Mordechai Schmutter My kids have 3 goldfish, which is 3 more goldfish than my wife originally wanted. And we don’t keep them in the same bowl. We keep them in two different bowls, right next to each other, because they belong to two different kids, and the kids don’t want their fish sharing a bowl. Like it matters whose fish is whose. Like when the kids get married, they’re going to leave with their fish. Or bring them to yeshiva. And these are kids who share a bedroom. The fish are named Goldstein, Goldberg, and Schwartz. Schwartz is the black one. Goldstein has his own place, while Goldberg and Schwartz are roommates.

And there are differences based on vive. where each fish lives. Goldstein belongs was to my son Daniel, which means that I’m y To- the one who feeds it every morning, and bade Goldberg and Schwartz belong to my son so is Heshy, which means that I’m the one only who feeds them every morning. About lso is once a week, my kids remember to ask if I fed their fish that day, and when I tell them I did, they say “I wanted to do it!” your Yes, fish are supposed to be an educatioand nal thing about responsibility, but I don’t their know if I’m willing to kill three fish to n it’s teach my kids a lesson. o the paw- One bowl has dismembered Lego men ed in floating around, and the other has Lego mis- bricks (the kids figured the fish needed time. pool toys.) Goldstein has a castle he can’t true fit into, while Goldberg and Schwartz o our have a big plant that’s not real. They don’t complain about the décor so I guess it’s ok. h DiAnd yes, we call our fish by last names, because our kids won them in school, and everyone in school is called by

last names. (We also had a fish named Goldschmidt, who died before we got the others. The current fish never asked what happened to the previous tenant.) But how could we give them first names? We don’t know what gender they are! Do you know how many fish there are named Goldie? My guess is about half of them spend their entire lives telling the other fish, “No, I’m a boy. Yes, there are boys named Goldie.” Or, “No, no, Fishel is totally a girl’s name. You don’t know any girls named Fishel?” Not that it matters. The fish have no idea what they’re named. It’s not like they’re going to get confused. Or that they’re getting phone calls. You might think that Goldstein gets lonely in his own bowl, but I’m not sure. The other two share a bowl and I never see them acknowledge each other. It’s not like they nod as they pass by. One time, my kids pointed out that Schwartz was floating at the top of the bowl, on his side, and Goldberg seemed fine with it. He was just maybe keeping his distance. Turns out, Schwartz wasn’t dead. Every time our fingers came near it to poke it he suddenly moved as if to say “I’M NOT DEAD – DON’T FLUSH ME!” Poking has amazing medical benefits... Doctors do it too. So I changed the water, and the next day he was fine. You’d think Goldberg would’ve been at Schwartz’s bedside, maybe helping him write out a will. Like… “Ok, so who gets your rocks?” “You do.”

Photo by Jessica Neuwerth (Fearless) / Foter

“Really? I had no idea we were so close. You barely say hello.” Though for all I know, maybe those two seriously don’t get along. Like the first day, Goldberg said something without thinking, and Schwartz thinks he’s a weirdo and won’t look at him now. I wonder what goes through their mind as they swim around. “My roommate is so annoying. We don’t agree on anything. I think I’m going to basically avoid him.”

“So apparently, the world is round. I explored the whole thing. Goldberg owes me five rocks.” “It’s weird. He nods every time he passes me like he’s surprised to see me.” “In general, food seems to come from heaven about once a day, except Shabbat. Mostly in the form of flakes. Is it manna?” “I think we’re killing the plant. There’s such a thing as overwatering, right?”

“I have to sleep with one eye open with this guy.”

“I’m worried about the environment. Goldberg thinks I’m crazy, but the water is definitely getting murkier. And I can’t seem to get rid of this fish smell.”

“Okay, fun fact: I can’t close either of my eyes.”

“Goldberg thinks we have a neighbor with a castle. Right.”

KOSHER

A homegrown dilemma

A couple at odds over keeping a kosher kitchen in their home Dear Rachel,

kind, tell him how much you appreciate him. Kindness, goodness and compas‑ sion are all very “Jewish” things to do, so whether he realizes it or not, he is living a Jewish life in many ways already. Keep in mind that he is very likely feeling this gap as much as you are, and although you may not be pleased with the direction he is (not yet) heading, he’s going to need to know that he is still precious to you.

I am married to a wonderful, kind and caring man. We have been happy to‑ gether for the last two decades. Over the past few years I have taken an interest in a more traditional Jewish lifestyle and, among other things, I am commit‑ ted to keeping a kosher kitchen. My husband, on the other hand, couldn’t be less interested. He doesn’t see the value or importance in keeping a kosher home. I’ve tried to bring him to Torah classes and introduce him to rabbis I think he would connect with – to no avail. He wants to continue eating and living the way he always has. I wish I could get him to see the beauty and meaning that I have found.

In terms of spiritual growth, we need to remember that everybody has got their own clock. We can’t set the pace for anyone else. What we can do is lead by example. The more you learn and grow and discover the beauty of Jewish life, the more enriched you will become. When we see a truly peaceful and fulfi‑ lled person, that energy radiates from them. You don’t have to convince anyone that you are fulfilled, or that you are happy, you will simply just be. And that is something everybody can learn from. Even a seemingly disinterested husband.

Do you have any words of wisdom for me? Anna * Dear Anna, The situation you describe is not uncom‑ mon. There are many couples out there with one partner growing towards a more active Jewish life, while the other is quite content to ‘stay put.’ A question was once posed to our Sages, “Why was man given two eyes, while we have only one mouth and one nose?” They answer, “The left eye is for looking at yourself and seeing the areas where you need to improve, and the right eye is for you to look at others with kindness.”

In marriage, it is so easy to see our spou‑ ses as an extension of ourselves. Often, we won’t cut them the same slack that we would allow for ourselves. All too of‑ ten, we look at them with our “left eye.” But, it is really important to realize that they need just as much independence and lenience as we allow ourselves. G‑d

Photo: Jason Briscoe / Upslash

gives us all equal opportunity to make choices. But as tempting as it may be, and as “right” as I may know that I am, I can’t enforce my choices for anyone else. As the woman of the house, you can, however, lay ground rules in your home. The woman is known as the High Priest of the home, setting the tone for the spi‑ ritual dimensions of domestic living. You have the ability to call the shots in terms of what is and is not permissible in your home. But that right extends to actions, not thoughts or feelings. These are way out of our realm. Simply put, asking your husband to keep the laws of kosher in your kitchen is within your right, but

expecting him to find beauty, inspiration or meaning in the laws is not. We are still left with a gap here. You are moving towards a certain goal and your husband is not, and that can be really hard on a relationship. In keeping with the right eye/left eye concept, it is important, more than ever, to reacquaint yourself with all the positive things that your husband does do. You mentioned above that he is ‘wonderful, good, and caring.’ Wonderful! Make sure he knows how much you appreciate the ‘everyday’ things he does. When you see him doing a caring act, let him know how that makes you feel; when he is helpful and

I encourage you to grow in your Jewish learning and observance and accept that your husband is not where you are right now. Give him time to watch you evolve, to see the subtle changes, to feel the sweetness of a Jewish home. If he can experience the beauty that you have found without pressure to ‘be like you,’ perhaps he will begin to explore his own connection with Judaism. In the meantime, I encourage you to love him for the good, Jewish man that he is and continue to be the best Jewish woman you can be. With many blessings to you both, Sarah - Sarah Zadok, is a childbirth educator, doula and freelance writer. She lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel, with her husband and four children

KOSHER

Penne alla vodka By Feigie Ceitlin INGREDIENTS: Pasta: 1 lb penne pasta Red sauce: 2 tbsp butter 2 oil 1/2 chopped onion 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp oregano 1 crushed garlic 3/4 c marinara sauce Salt and pepper to taste White sauce: 1.5 c heavy cream 1 clove garlic crushed Grated parmesan cheese (optional) 2 tbsp vodka (optional) DIRECTIONS: Cook pasta as usual. Prepare the red sauce: Sauté onions in the butter and oil add in basil, oregano and garlic. Allow to simmer together and marinara and salt and pepper mix well, cover the pot partially, lower the heat and let simmer for 40-50 minutes. Prepare the white sauce: Place heavy

cream into a large saucepan over mediumhigh heat and allow to come to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Add garlic (and parmesan and vodka if using) and cook for another 5 minutes. When the white sauce is done, combine both sauces and pour over pasta. * The blessing: Mezonot Food that is made from grain (wheat, barley, rye, spelt or oat) but is not bread gets the blessing mezonot. This includes cakes and pastries, most crackers and cereals, pasta and other cooked grain products like farfel and couscous. The blessing: Baruch atah A-donay, Elo-heinu Melech Ha’Olam borei minei mezonot. Blessed are you L-rd our G‑d, King of the Universe, Who creates various kinds of sustenance. Bon appetit! — Feigie Ceitlin is the program director of Chabad Tucson

Photo by Jacqueline Soffer

SPORTS

A Super Bowl symposium Our friends at Chabad.org had a brainstorming session

Photo by Mick Haupt / Unsplash

By Naftali Silberberg

It’s that time of year again when millions of Americans will tune into at least part of the Big Game - Super Bowl LVI which will be played on Sunday, February 13, 2022, at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. An event of this enormity challenges us here at the Judaism website Chabad. org to provide some sort of Jewish spin. So I called together a few people in the central office here in Brooklyn for an impromptu brainstorming session. (Considering that football is very much a team game, it’s kinda appropriate that an article on the topic should be a team effort...) Here are the results: The Forward Pass

Menachem Posner, a veteran member of our site’s Ask the Rabbi team, recalled reading that the “forward pass,” a staple of modern-day football, was not part of the original game of football. A little digging on

the net on my part confirmed his memory: during the first decades of collegiate and professional football, only lateral passes were allowed. The ball could only be moved forward, past the line of scrimmage, by a player running with the ball. In 1906, the rules were changed, and the forward pass became legal. This change was implemented because many players were injured or even killed (!) while playing, due to the crush of players converging to tackle the rushers. The forward pass – originally ridiculed – opened up the game, and also allowed for spectacular 50-yard passes. The Lesson: When trying to get the ball to the end zone, you can do it slowly and methodically, running with the ball as fast as your legs will take you—all while trying to stay clear of all the tackles seeking to throw you to the ground. Or... you can throw the ball way ahead. Life – like foot-

ball – has to be a mix of both elements. Meticulous movement forward, and the occasional quantum forward pass. Even if you then get tackled, the yardage you’ve gained is yours to keep... (And then there’s always next play.) Game Time The editor of our Audio and Video sections, Shmuel Lifshitz, in his youth a Bengals fan, took a few moments off his busy schedule to share this thought: The average football game takes around three hours. That is the time that elapses from the opening kickoff till the clock runs down at the end of the fourth quarter. But how much of that is actual playing time? Around 11 minutes. Yup, zero in on the time spent between the time the ball is snapped and the moment the play is whistled dead, tally all the plays together, and you’ll get around 11 minutes of action. Or

around 6% of the total time. What occupies the rest of the time? Commercials, player huddles, instant replays, commercials, timeouts, halftime, commercials, players milling around waiting for a play... The Lesson: What’s really important is not necessarily that which occupies most of our time. That half-hour a day you spend studying Torah, the hour you spend with your family, the minutes you devote to prayer—that’s the action. All else is just the hype that surrounds, pays for, and facilitates the action. (Football fans: Aside for the 11 minutes of action, you too could be watching the banquet. Scroll up for the link. Even if your team is losing, this is a winning team everyone can cheer for.) Defense or Offense?

OPINION My turn. A while back I was at a friend’s house and a football game was on. My friend kindly offered to explain the game to me. (Coming from Detroit, I have no incentive to be a football fan, and was never too versed in the game.) He explained to me that there is a “defensive line” whose members try to tackle the quarterback. And then there’s the “offensive line,” whose job it is to protect the quarterback against the defensive line, and prevent him from being sacked. I was initially confused. The defensive line is on the offensive, and the offensive line is defending! I guess this is what’s meant by “The best defense is offense” (and vice versa?). The Lesson: Offense needs to incorporate defense (in which case the defense is really just camouflaged offense) and vice versa. Offense = doing good stuff; furthering our life agenda (but thankfully without risking concussions and torn hamstrings, strings that apparently only athletes possess). Defense = being on guard against unsavory influences and habits. Put on your thinking caps and figure that one out... Blizzards? Bah!

Eli Manning representing the New York Giants playing in the Pro Bowl in 2013 * Photo: Tech. Sgt. Michael Holzworth

this, but will likely understand very little of it. He happens to be one of those whose 6% is more like 60%, leaving little time for sports. Though he does fondly remember the Brooklyn Dodgers games he attended as a child.)

have a chance. No one can figure out how they got there in the first place. Yet in the fourth quarter, quarterback Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes, including the winning drive that culminated with a 13yard touchdown to Plaxico Burress.

been fumbling a lot that season.

The Lesson: Go to synagogue this Shabbat. No excuses accepted. If you want to go, you will.

You can see the footage where Eli Manning has the ball in the clear in that final play. You can imagine what’s going through his mind. Heart rate tops 180+. The world shifts into slow motion. He figures, “I’m in the clear. I throw the ball, we get a touchdown and the Giants win. I’m the hero of season. I get the biggest contract offered in football history.”

At the end of the game, a reporter asked Manning, “How did you do it? How did you avoid the rush?” He replied, “I made myself small.”

That’s when players freeze or fumble. As soon as you think of yourself as your own person, you’ve lost. Everything has to be the team and the game. And Manning had

Do you have any lessons or thoughts you’d like to share with Keeping Jewish? Email: info@ChabadTucson.com

How to Secure a $100 Million Contract

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a lesson I heard from my father a few years ago following a notoriously freezing cold football game, well, well below zero, which was nevertheless attended by around 80,000 pumped-up fans. (Side note: My father will certainly read

After this article was written, I sent it off to Tzvi Freeman, a senior editor at Chabad.org and author of Wisdom to Heal the Earth, for editorial review. Here was what he had to add to the discussion: Super Bowl 2008, Giants vs. Patriots. Everyone figured there’s no way the Giants

The Patriots have six rushers after Manning. Manning lofts a pass to the end zone where Burress catches the ball to give the Giants a lead with 35 seconds left.

Manning was later offered the biggest contract in football history. *

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VOICES

On turning 70 and missed opportunities More important than wondering “What if?” about the past is asking, “What now?” By Karen Kaplan I awoke one recent morning with a sense of dis-ease. No, not “disease”—for there was nothing physically wrong with me, thank G‑d. Yet I felt uncomfortable. Dis-ease. It was an emotional hangover from the thoughts running through my head as I fell asleep the night before. I’ll be 70 years old in just a few months. It says in Psalm 90: “The days of our lives number seventy years, and if in great vigor, eighty.” Seventy is considered a full life. Anything more is a bonus. I lay in the dark and asked myself how full my life has really been. I recalled a life where I was thrust through one door after another, year after year, each door another event, another phase. But as I went through each door, a myriad of other possible doors—of other paths to take—closed. And so, those last waking thoughts were of the many doors I’d never opened. I had always figured that I would become a mother, but a series of health issues ended that dream. Now, I watch from the sidelines as my friends celebrate milestones with their grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

I was a good student and always thought I’d wind up in academia in some ivy-covered building at a prestigious university. I’d be adored by my students, revered by my colleagues and publish one paper after another. Instead, I met my husband on the first day of college, got married and never even made it to graduate school. He became a small-business owner, and I became his sidekick. He used to joke that I did all the jobs you couldn’t pay someone to do, and I’d laugh and agree. But when we moved a few blocks from Northwestern University, I’d often walk around the campus, look at those ivy-covered halls and feel a twinge for the road not taken.

Photo by Kate Hliznitsova / Unsplash

I’d even imagined my retirement. The reward for all those years of work was supposed to be the two of us traveling the world together. Oceans traversed, mountains climbed, cities explored. Instead, my husband died at 59, and my role as a wife and professional sidekick ended in a heartbeat. Even that door was slammed

in my face. I got up, poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down at the dining table to mope. With my first sip, I looked up and saw the painting on the nearest wall. It’s a portrait of the Rebbe, who also lived a life where many doors were left unope-

ned. Neither of us had children. Both of us had an interest in math and science (he studied engineering, I studied math), yet neither of us pursued a profession in those areas. We both went in directions we hadn’t originally predicted. But that’s where the similarities ended: He became the Rebbe, while I’ve lived a munda-

VOICES

ne life, never achieving any of my dreams. Was there anything I could learn from him about the significance of turning 70? The number 70, as a multiple of seven, connotes rest and completion. We observe Shabbat, the seventh day, as the culmination of our week—a time to rest, reflect and then move forward. It is that concept—that endings are springboards to move us forward—that the Rebbe used to commemorate his own 70th birthday. He did not believe that people should retire at an arbitrary age to live a life of leisure. He believed that whatever we may lose in physical ability is more than compensated by the wisdom that only experience can give us. “Indeed,” said the Rebbe with a smile, “a twenty-year-old can dance the night away while his grandmother tires after a few minutes. But man was not created to dance for hours on end. Man was created to make life on earth purer, brighter and holier than it was before he came on the scene.” The Rebbe was telling us that what matters isn’t what the world has given us, but rather, what we give back to the world. Every person has something of value to offer. There are no wrong doors, not if you choose to learn and grow from every experience. With this epiphany, I stopped thinking about the doors I never opened and focused instead on the ones I did. I realized that from working with customers, I learned to make the most of these short interactions and leave them with a positive impression of me and our business. From all the professional correspondence

I produced over the years, I learned how to write clearly and persuasively. Like every small business owner, I learned how to weather the inevitable ups and downs of the economy, and how to solve all the daily problems that arose. And I learned not to be shy when we were owed money, but how never to humiliate those who owed us. Since I retired, I’ve worked as a Jewish volunteer at local hospitals, where my experience with customers enabled me to have brief, positive interactions with hundreds of people. All those years of professional writing gave me skills that I’m using in writing articles. And all that asking customers for payment has helped me every time I’m asked to make fundraising calls for my favorite charities. Life is an unfathomable mixture of free will and Divine intervention (hashgacha pratit). Are we pushing ourselves through a door, or being guided by an invisible hand? Did all those doors just happen to present themselves or were they placed there at precisely the right time? Perhaps, it’s not either-or. The Rebbe, in just a few words, put it all in perspective for me. More important than wondering “What if?” about the past is asking, “What now?” about the future. As long as we live, we can be productive, and it’s our mission to use all our resources, at every age, to make the world a brighter place. - Karen Kaplan, a native Chicagoan, lives in Evanston, Illinois, where she actively volunteers in the community

Mazel Tov Michelle and Richard Cozza May you share many simchas In your new home In the years ahead

Madeline Friedman Vice President, ABR, CRS, GRI

520.907.4141 TucsonHomeFinder@aol.com www.TucsonAZHomes.com 13

LOCAL

Welcome to town:

Dr. Bital Savir-Baruch By Benjamin Weiss Dr. Bital Savir-Baruch is an Associate Professor of Radiology and Chief of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine. Born in the central Israeli city of Rishon LeZion, she received her MD degree from Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, and completed a Nuclear Medicine Residency at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to clinical expertise in diagnosing and managing prostate, thyroid, neuroendocrine, and breast cancers, she specializes in diagnosing patients with cardiac amyloidosis and sarcoidosis. She is passionate about research, patient care, and education. How long have you been in Tucson? 6 months.

What brought you here? Work, and I had heard there is a good

Jewish community here. This was very important to me. Where did you move from and how is Tucson compared to it? I moved from Chicago. Tucson is warmer, smaller, significantly less organized, but also a welcoming environment. Currently reading/learning: I wish I had time to do that. These times, I struggle to find time to breathe. A hobby: Being with family and traveling are my current hobbies. Tzedaka motto: We should (and in our case we do) give often and discreetly. A favorite Mitzvah/holiday: Passover because that is the only holiday I actually get to see my whole family

including my parents and brothers.

of Jews around the world.

A cherished Jewish memory: My younger brother’s Brit. I was 7 years old at the time.

Comfort food: Red wine. It means that I’m not oncall and have a minute for myself which doesn’t happen a lot.

Jewish app on phone: Do Israeli news apps in Hebrew count as Jewish? Go-to Yiddish or Hebrew word: Yallah (“let’s go” or “come on”) but that’s technically Arabic, and sababa (“wonderful”). Favorite historical Jewish figure: King David and former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. I think they had some similarities. Chabad: When my son was born in Atlanta, the first thing I did was to call Chabad. It’s an amazing organization that takes care

Happiness: I start out each day trying to be happy and everything else follows. I find happiness in daily activities. Kvetch: I don’t like a lack of honesty. Kvell: The happiness of my kids. I have 2 boys. Something you’re looking forward to: I came here to grow the nuclear medicine division and hope it will happen.

FUN PAGE

Gem Word Search The breastplate (choshen) was worn by the high priest (kohen gadol) when serving in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. It featured 12 precious stones, corresponding to the 12 tribes of Israel. Find the names of each tribe and their stones:

Reuben

Zebulun

Joseph

Carbuncle

Turquoise

Simeon

Dan

Benjamin

Emerald

Crystal

Levi

Naphtali

Sapphire

Chrysolite

Judah

Gad

Ruby

Pearl

Onyx

Issachar

Asher

Prase

Peridot

Jasper