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| Dr. Rabbi Kenneth A. Emert |
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Sabbatical Plan for January 2012
Dear Friends:
Happy secular New Year! May 2012 be a year of health and prosperity, a year of peace for Israel, and a year where dreams are realized.
I am writing you from California where I am on sabbatical for the month of January.
Each year congregants ask me what I do on my sabbatical (see below) and why over the years have I chosen to study New Testament literature and other aspects of Christian history.
A sabbatical is a time for the rabbi to disconnect from the day-to day demands of the role of rabbi and an opportunity to reconnect with the intellectual ideas, the spiritual outlook and the understanding of self that serve as the foundation of the rabbinate.
The sabbatical is NOT a vacation, but rather an opportunity for reflection, the net result of which will allow me to better meet the religious, educational, pastoral and communal needs of the congregation.
Secondly, having served congregations in the Midwest, in communities where there were as few as two synagogues and many more churches, it was not unusual for Jews to be asked about their faith, and its beliefs, in comparison to Christianity. I found that in order to speak intelligently and to make meaningful comparisons and contrasts, I needed to acquire more than a rudimentary knowledge of the foundational literature of Christianity.
Having enrolled in a doctoral program at a Presbyterian Seminary helped improve my interfaith relations, especially on the local level where rabbis were expected to work with fellow clergy from other denominations, teach classes at Christian colleges and universities, conduct instructional Seder ceremonies for the non-Jewish community and appear on panels and/or on local television programs with clergy of different faiths.
Studying Christian theology forced me to wrestle with my own theology as it related to God, Torah and the role of the “other” in society.
Moreover, my studies of Christianity and its sources have helped me to explain the “anti-Judaism” elements of the New Testament, and the anti-Jewish rhetoric of the Church Fathers which have led to the deterioration of Jewish - Christian relations throughout the centuries.
For these reasons and more, I felt it important to have a mastery of these ancient Christian texts.
SABBATICAL PLAN:
My sabbatical will consist of the following four (4) components:
A. PACIFIC ASSOCIATION OF REFORM RABBIS CONVENTION
During the first part of my sabbatical I will attend the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis Convention where I will attend 3 lectures given by Rabbi Dr. Elliot Dorff, Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy at American Jewish University, who will be our Scholar-In-Residence.
The titles of his three lectures are as follows:
1) “What is the Theory of Jewish Law and Why Should I Care?”
2) “Finding God in Prayer-Theological Issues and Paradigms in Studying Prayer”
3) “How and Why Jewish Bio-ethics Differs from Secular and Christian Bio-ethics. A look at Fundamental Assumptions Using Case Studies”
In addition, I will be attending the following three sessions:
1) “The Gentile Question in Ancient Judaism”, Professor Joshua Garroway, HUC-JIR, Los Angeles, CA
2) Conversation with the Consul-General of Israel, David Siegel
3) “What is My Role as Rabbi in a Changing World?”
B) ACADEMIC LEARNING
Course 1:
History of the Bible: The Making of the New Testament Canon
Taught by Professor Bart D. Ehrman, M.Div., Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The lectures are designed to provide an overview to the New Testament for people who recognize or appreciate its cultural importance, or who have religious commitments to it, but who have not yet had a chance to get to know where it came from, what it contains, and how it was transmitted down to us today. The focus in this course will be historical, rather than theological. We will discuss how some books, and not others, have come to be collected into what Christians came to consider the canon of scripture that would define their belief for all time.
Course 2:
From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity
Taught by Professor Bart D. Ehrman, M.Div., Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
These lectures will examine Christianity's first three centuries to explain its transition from the religion of Jesus to a religion about Jesus.
Professor Ehrman will examine Christianity from several directions:
- The faith's beginnings, starting with the historical Jesus and the other individuals and traditions that formed the foundation of the emerging religion
- Jewish-Christian relations, including the rise of anti-Judaism within the Christian church and the emergence of Christianity as a religion different from and ultimately opposed to the Jewish religion from which it emerged
- The way Paul and other Christians spread the new faith, including the message they proclaimed and their approaches to winning converts
- Hostility to the Christian mission from those who were not persuaded to convert and who considered Christianity to be dangerous or antisocial, leading to the persecutions of the 2nd and 3rd centuries
- Internal struggles within the faith, as Christians with divergent understandings sought to make their beliefs the ones that defined the one "true" faith
- The factors that led to the formation of traditional Christianity we know today, with its canon of New Testament scriptures, set creeds, liturgical practices such as baptism and the Eucharist, and church hierarchy
C. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Erica Brown (2008) Inspired Jewish Leadership: Practical Approaches to Building Strong Communities. Woodstock: Jewish Lights Publications
Given the challenges facing the Jewish community in Israel and the United States today, we need leaders of great wisdom, understanding, and vision to communicate hope and purpose, and to inspire mutual responsibility, particularly at times of crisis and vulnerability.
Drawing from ancient models of Jewish leadership, contemporary professional business literature, and Jewish texts, Dr. Erica Brown lays the framework for working through important leadership issues and illustrates how great leadership can be learned when you are equipped with resources, reflective training, and a helpful network of mentors.
The book is full of personal anecdotes from experienced Jewish leaders, questions for reflection, and easy-to-do exercises. It is ideal for professionals and volunteers who want to hone their own skills as well as facilitate group leadership development. It will help the reader and his/her organization understand how successful institutions operate and give you the resources you need to implement change in your own community.
D) SPIRITUALITY: SELF-ENRICHMENT
Daniel F Polish (2007) Talking about God: Exploring the Meaning of Religious Life with Kierkegaard, Buber, Tillich and Heschel. Woodstock: SkyLight Paths Publishing
The modern age of religion is characterized by dialogue. Jews and Christians together explore the realities and meaning of living in proximity to one another. Yet for all the good will and sincerity of intention, too often such discussions fail to progress beyond well-intentioned pleasantries to the challenging content that can truly deepen our understanding of each other.
This book introduces the reader to the theologies of four modern religious thinkers which will help break through the superficial generalities to plumb the depths of religious differences and embrace the commonalities.
Examining the lives and works of Soren Kierkegaard, Martin Buber, Paul Tillich and Abraham Joshua Heschel through the lens of their treatment of the Bible and the biblical patriarch Abraham, the reader will take part in a discussion of the very phenomenon of religion and what part it plays in living a fully engaged human life.
In addition to my formal and informal studies, I am planning on worshipping at Temple Isaiah, (Conservative) Palm Springs, and Temple Sinai, (Reform) Palm Desert.
I am looking forward to my studies and to returning invigorated by my new learning and understanding.
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