My Jewish Identity: Someone Else Articulates A Similar View

The question that started it all for me

When I have gotten asked about what inspired me to get more involved Jewishly in my life and identity, I always point back to a particular episode in my life in high school.  It was the summer of 1998 and I was attending BBYO's International Leadership Training Conference, when, as part of a program, a question was posed to us: "Would you rather be leaders who are Jews or Jewish leaders?"  While I do not remember what the context of the program or discussion was, my parsing of that question ignited my interest to live Jewishly.  I certainly do not know what the intent of the querier was, but I understood the question to be bifurcating (obviously, for heuristic purposes) between a leader - let's just say a congressman, since that's what popped into my mind - who, while they may occasionally go to synagogue and occasionally use their "Jewish credentials" to their advantage when it suits them, they do not embody their Jewishness as an integral part of their identity; this is in contrast to someone who, while they, too, are a congressman, they do have their Jewish identity as integral to the warp and woof of their overall identity and don't just use it when it suits them.  

So, I thought that the latter category seemed more authentic and wanted to be like that.  But, the first, and most essential, question is "How do I live Jewishly?"  That has animated me since then.

Of course, this question can be re-understood as what do I need to do to follow Jewish Law (הלכה/halakhah)?  It has been my great interest, especially throughout rabbinical school; I tremendously enjoy learning/studying/exploring halakhah, since that provides the grounding for Jewish life (also, see number five here).

However, what undergirded this notion of wanting to be Jewish and identifying with my people I had never fully articulated, partly because I did not have a great way of articulating it.  However, after having printed out and reading Rabbi Zev Farber, PhD's Avraham Avinu is My Father: Thoughts on Torah, History, and Judaism, I discovered the following passage (here), which greatly reflects my own approach to my Jewish identity:

Rabbi Zev Farber, PhD (here is his dissertation)

I view the world through Jewish lenses—I always have. I believe that living a Jewish life, studying and keeping Torah, and throwing my lot in with my Jewish brothers and sisters gives my life meaning. I believe that by doing this, I am doing something good in a real way, fulfilling some sort of divine mission. I am well aware of the fact that I cannot demonstrate any of this in an objective way; I cannot prove that living a Jewish life bonds me to a divine mission or that it makes the world a better place. However, neither can I prove, in any objective way, that the world is better off with life on it than it would be as a barren wasteland like Mars. The Earth is a collection of stardust, after all, and if atoms on this small planet form themselves into a tree, a person, or a rock, what possible difference could that make in a universe as vast as ours? And yet, somehow I do not live in daily existential angst about my existence, the significance of my life, or even the veracity of my religious beliefs and commitments.

For the longest time, I didn't know if anyone else had a similar approach to mine and I was really glad to find this passage articulating a view to which I can point that reflects mine :)

Why Are You Apologizing for That?

Occasionally, someone will cuss in front of me and apologize: "Sorry, Rabbi" or "I shouldn't speak that way in front of a rabbi."  They apologize as if I am a child or somehow unfamiliar with such language or even view it as somehow wrong/bad. I don't understand why people think that is and it continues to befuddle me - dropping the f-bomb, as uncouth as it is, does not go against Judaism.
 
However, on the other hand, people will either eat unkosher items or discuss eating them in front of me without apology.  Or they may discuss doing various activities on shabbat, etc. etc.  I find it bizarre that they see cussing as transgressive, yet eating bacon, lobster or cheeseburgers as something they are totally comfortable with in front of me....

Looking Forward to Hillel Institute!

Tomorrow, the annual Hillel Institute begins, once again at the beautiful Washington University campus in St. Louis.  

According to Weather.com, it should be the coolest Hillel Institute ever

1) Of course, being at big Jewish conferences is great and I love the energy at them generally (yes, it's one of the reasons I wanted to become a rabbi).  Hillel Institute is no exception and I'm looking forward to being around such an interesting mix of people and energy, looking forward to another year of serving this particular demographic of the Jewish people.


2) The first two years of Hillel Institute, the weather in St. Louis was in the 90s and 100s (and quite humid!).  Last year's temperatures were cooler - only in the 80s.  This year, it's supposed to be even cooler - in the 70s (okay, and a little in the 80s)!

3) No kids with us for the first time ever!  The first two we brought one child each and both of ours last year.  Although the babysitting services were sadly inadequate the first two years, Hillel stepped up their game last year.

Most of the YCT guys at last year's Hillel Institute

4) Another opportunity to get together with fellow YCT alumni, as usual.  Not only is it great to see fellow YCT alumni shine, but this year, we're planning on actually meeting up!

5) I remember there being some really yummy food served last year and the food services of WUSTL running a real quality operation there.  I'm looking forward to some more great food :)

6) No more track sessions!  For the first three Hillel Institutes, we had these sessions that, somehow, were not that great.  I am optimistic that changing this core piece of the professional development aspect will be an improvement.

7) The new Beach Hillel programming associate will be there and we will be meeting him for the first time and it will be an interesting opportunity to discuss SoCal and Hillel.

Just like last year, the officially designated hashtag for Hillel Institute is #HillelInstitute

8) Even more tweeting!  I've enjoyed the tweeting every year.  Although 2010's Hillel Institute was  lacking tweeting-wise, it improved in 2011, and there was more last year, as well.  Hopefully, there will be some great tweeting going on.

8) Meeting Eric Fingerhut, the new President of Hillel, a fellow Ohioan!

9) I plan on going and enjoying the conference.  Although part of that includes not having children with us (see above), it also includes enjoying the hanging out at the great socializing opportunities provided.  Also, I shouldn't be posting any controversial blog posts of mine going up, getting me in some hot water, as has happened two of the past three years. 

10) Knowing about the fitness center, albeit little/no time in the schedule to exercise, but I will see what I can do....

 Well, my flight leaves out of LAX in 15 hours, so now on to packing....  
(You can follow along my journey on twitter.)

Rabbinic Popularity in the Tosefta VII: Top Twenty Overall [Final Tally]

So, I have finished going through and tabulating the times that sages (or anybody, really) appear in the Tosefta.  (Yay!)  What follows is the top twenty most frequently-appearing sages/people in the Tosefta (for the most frequent appearances in individual sedarim: סדר זרעים ,סדר מועד , סדר נשים, סדר נזיקין, סדר קדשים, and סדר טהרות):

1 - רבי יהודה

2 - רבי שמעון

3 - רבי יוסי

4 - רבי מאיר

5 - חכמים

6 - רבי אליעזר

7 - רבן שמעון בן גמליאל

8 - רבי עקיבא

9 - רבי

10 - בית הלל

11 - בית שמאי

12 - רבי שמעון בן אלעזר

13 - רבי יהושע

14 - רבי אלעזר

15 - רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה

16 - רבן גמליאל

17 - רבי אלעזר ברבי שמעון

18 - רבי אלעזר ברבי צדוק

T-19 - רבי טרפון

T-19 - רבי ישמעאל

Just as with the Mishnah, Rabbi Yehudah dominated in appearances, with none coming even close to him (with nearly a thousand mentions), with Rabbi Shim'on and Rabbi Yosi following him.  Following them, with a bit less were Rabbi Me'ir and the Sages, rounding out the top five.  With still over three hundred mentions come Rabbi Eli'ezer and Rabban Shim'on, son of Gamliel.  With over two hundred mentions come Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi [Yehudah the Prince], Hillel's Academy and Shammai's Academy.  With over a hundred mentions then come Rabbi Shim'on, son of El'azar, Rabbi Yehoshu'a, Rabbi El'azar, and Rabbi Yosi, son of Rabbi Yehudah.

Rabbinic Popularity in the Tosefta VI: סדר טהרות

Finally, after having begun the tabulation of the frequency of the sages mentioned in the Tosefta a couple of years ago, I have finished :)  (Granted, I need still yet to do a final tally...(post to come...).)  For previous posts in this series, see סדר זרעים ,סדר מועד , סדר נשים, סדר נזיקין, and סדר קדשים.
Here is the Top Ten in Seder Taharot for the Tosefta:

1 - רבי יהודה

2 - רבי שמעון

3 - רבי יוסי

4 - חכמים

5 - רבי מאיר

6 - רבי אליעזר

7 - רבי עקיבא

8 - רבן שמעון בן גמליאל

9 - בית הלל

10 - בית שמאי ורבי

In comparing/contrasting this with the Mishnah for this same seder, the only differences above are that Rabbi Shim'on and the Hakhamim have switched places and that Rabbi Shim'on, son of Gamli'el has displaced Shammai's Academy, with the latter tying Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi] at tenth.

For the most commonly referenced in each tractate, here is a listing:

כלים בבא קמא - רבי יהודה
כלים בבא מציעא - רבי יהודה
כלים בבא בתרא - רבי יהודה ורבי יוסי

אהילות - רבי יהודה

נגעים - רבי שמעון

פרה - רבי יהודה
נדה - רבי מאיר
מקואות - רבי יהודה

טהרות - רבי שמעון

מכשירין - רבי יהודה ורבי יוסי

זבים - רבי שמעון ובית הלל ובית שמאי

טבול יום - רבי יהודה ורבי יוסי

ידים - רבי יוסי

עוקצין - רבי יהודה

I am glad and quite happy that I finished this project; next up: tabulating the results....

One of My Favorite Rabbis - Rabbi Aryeh Klapper - Some Recommended Listening

Frequently on this blog, I have mentioned Rabbi Aryeh Klapper, particularly my involvement with his Summer Beit Midrash seven years ago (here, here, here, here, and here), listening to him at YCT Yemei Iyun (here, here, and here), other times (here, here, here, and here), and, of course, here.  Without falling into the danger of relating one's praise in front of someone, I am not going to discuss how impressively brilliant Rabbi Klapper is, generally and Jewishly and how utterly well-read he is, both generally and Jewishly.
The real reason why I am composing this present post is that I frequently reference Rabbi Klapper to other people, especially several of his online-recorded talks.  So, for their benefit, here are three highly recommended listening of his:
     - So Long But Thanks For the Fish: A New Reading of the Jonah Story
     - Did Hevel Have A Sense of Humor?
     - Writing Modern Midrash
If you enjoyed those three, here are some others:

     - Beyond Good and Evil: A Philosophical Reclamation of the Concept of Holiness
     - DNA Evidence in Mamzerut Cases: How Much Reality Can and Should Halakhah Acknowledge
     - Should Facts Affect Faith?
     - Maimonides and Messianism
     - What is the Purpose of Animal Sacrifice?
     - Dangerous Hava Aminas and Why the Talmud Preserves Them
     - What Should Klal Yisraels Immigration Policy Be?
     - Why Only Moses Could Redeem the Bones of Yosef
  If you are interested in more, you can check out this link for a cache of more!

Inner Hasid?

This is super random, but I thought I would share it at some point. Why not now? As anybody who knows my approach to Judaism, one would say that mine is rather rationalist, academic, etc. For instance, if it were up to me, I would remove kabbalistic elements from Halakhah. In any event, sometimes, I feel, as if I am closeting my inner hasid, waiting to come out. I wonder when it will fully come out. In the meantime, I will keep to my rationalistic, academic, non-mystical Jewish identity. I wonder if it will occur in middle-age or older.... If so, come back in a 1.5-2.5 decades.... I will remain rational until then.

Moving Quotes Blog From Tumblr to Wordpress

About a couple of years ago, I started using a Tumblr page to post quotes I found interesting and it has been useful.  However, because I want to reference certain quotes sometimes, I search for them, but they don't turn up.  That's really unfortunate :(
So, I just created a Wordpress site today for them and will be moving the quotes on over there.

What Does Qualitative Data Look Like? and Other Issues with this Much-Needed Genre of Data for [Jewish] Non-Profits

Yes, I've got a lot to say on this matter, so here is a table of contents: I. Introduction, II. Qualitative Data vs. Quantitative Data, III.  [Some] Types of Qualitative Data, IV.  [Some] Problems with Collecting Qualitative Data, V.  Moving Forward

 - - - - - 

I. Introduction
       Before the school year began, I had some time to put down some of my thoughts regarding a sadly much-overlooked piece in the Jewish (perhaps the non-profit world more broadly?) world: "Qualitative Metrics for the Jewish Community?" (which I was then able to get re-posted at eJewish Philanthropy the following week).  My main point I tried pushing in that post is that we should not be as "concerned with how many people show up as a marker of programmatic success" than "with how the program actually went and its impact upon the participants/attendees."  Granted, coming from me, that's not surprising since my view on matters is to be concerned more about quality than quantity, but this view should not be exclusive to me within the Jewish world (and, perhaps, the non-profit world more generally).
     Having posted it, I received a variety of feedback, some not sure what to do with it (okay, largely the organizations I mentioned, who thought I was criticizing them), but also many who thanked me for opening up this conversation and that they had been wondering about this matter, as well.  My goal, as I stated in the original post was "to push the conversation not only toward thinking about the importance and need of qualitative data amongst participants of Jewish communal programs, but also to see if we can develop methods of such data collection as well as to be able to get it into the minds of funders that a program's impact is more than just number of feet who walk into a program."
      As I mentioned in the follow-up post, I was glad that I felt I achieved the goal of people discussing qualitative data and its importance rather than an almost exclusive focus on quantitative data (I was super happy with the response by Renée Rubin Ross and Matthew Grossman (especially since they start off with "Drew Kaplan is right"), wherein they acknowledge "Funders and organizations offering Jewish experiences must pay attention to qualitative assessment. While it is challenging to measure the effects that unique Jewish experiences have on the lives of individuals, thanks to partnerships between funders and Jewish educational organizations, new approaches are emerging to do just that."  Fortunately, it seems that the Jim Joseph Foundation gets it and is really working toward integrating quantitative data in their considerations of developing young Jewish people), however I don't know or think there was much further discussion of the matter (let alone philanthropically-minded folks changing their orientation from quantitatively-focused to also considering (or mostly considering) qualitative matters.  Part of that is my fault for not having continued posting on the matter and continuing to keep it on people's minds.
     I also mentioned in that follow-up post that my ideas had been further shaped/advanced through being in dialogue with people about this topic and that was tremendously delightful.  I wrote down notes in August about writing further about this matter and never seemed to grab the time to do so.  Now that the school year is winding down, I am grabbing some time now to write about this once again.

 - - - - - 

II.  Qualitative Data vs. Quantitative Data

     Although people may be quite familiar with quantitative data, that is numbers that inform about the amount of something; although in this case of the non-profit Jewish world, I mean how a measurement of how many people are participating in something: it could be an event, it could be a variety of events, etc.  It seems that the Jewish world is largely concerned with the numbers of feet that make it through the door at a given event or over the course of a given time-span.  While this can indicate marketing/promotional success, it does not indicate how successful the program they are attending is.  While it can indicate how good previous programs/events produced by that organization/group are, they don't bear directly on this particular program.  Yes, it's further true that attendance can indicate how excellently-targeted this particular demographic is and the type of program is, it may also be about the timing and location (vice versa for low attendance).
      But what about the program, itself?  How does one measure this?  Also, which type of program is it?  For example, if it's a shabbat dinner, we may measure one type of qualitative element; if it's a Jewish textual learning experience, it's another; and if it's a leadership-development program, perhaps it's another.  Perhaps we have different expectations of what we want to measure: are we measuring short-term effects, medium-term effects, or long-term effects?

 - - - - - 

III.  [Some] Types of Qualitative Data
      In August, through the discussions I was having with people, I realized that there are different types of qualitative data.  Here are some: specific quantified qualitative data, oblique quantified data about participation in event or practice, binary quantified qualititative data of beliefs or activities, and vignettes/stories as non-quantitative data.
      Here is what I mean about that linguistic gobbledy-gook above (perhaps they're neologistic terminology...): specific quantified qualitative data - if you can pardon the seeming paradoxical element - is measuring how good the event was or how much a given person (or certain ones or all of them) enjoyed or developed due to the event.  This can be measured on a particular numerical scale (1-5, 1-10, 1-100, etc.) and crunching that data.
      Oblique quantified data about participating in event or practice is measuring how many people are now doing some particular practice; this can include (but in now way limited to) lighting shabbat candles, observing shabbat, marrying a Jew/Jewess, or giving tzedakah.  This isn't so much qualitative, per se, exactly, but can reflect how impactful a particular activity/event/experience was.
      Binary quantified qualitative data is similar to the above, (and, frankly, I don't remember what I meant when I wrote this down 9 months ago...).
      Vignettes/stories as non-quantitative data is interesting in that it's not numerical data, but rather can be sharing a story about someone who's life was greatly effected/enhanced/ameliorated by the participation in the event/program/etc.

 - - - - - 

IV.  [Some] Problems with Collecting Qualitative Data
      As I mentioned in August, that

even if there is a way to measure it, when and how ought we go about doing it?  Is it simply an entry survey and an exit survey to see if their leadership skills or Jewish identity has increased?  If so, is it a binary measurement of yes/no or is it more complex, even something as seemingly simple as measuring it on a scale of 1-10.  Let's say you try this and you are able to get information such as "There was a 56% increase in Jewish identity from this event", what does that mean?  Furthermore, how does that translate?  
But the biggest question mark is that this work generally is actually development work (no, not fundraising), such that we are seeing how we can provide these ideas, activities, etc. to develop in these [young (although not necessarily so)] people.  Thus, even if they can tell us how they were affected, impacted, or helped through such programming immediately afterwards, what about six months down the road?  One year later?  What about 5, 10, 15 years later?

There are certainly issues with not only the data that result through the arbitrary self-reporting of those attending at the moment, but also how is the data collected weeks, months, or years later?  How many of those who attended will respond?  How much can the attendees attribute their growth (or, perhaps, lack of it) to that particular program (especially years later)?  
    But this is only just the beginning of the problem: do the staff members of those groups/organizations spend the time and resources on gathering and going back and continually gathering this information?  That could be time and labor-intensive.  What about hiring outside evaluators, which will be also money-intensive?  And how will those evaluators be able to stick to that group and how will they be remunerated for those programs?  Also, can we say 10-15 years later: that particular program was great, but that other one wasn't based on longitudinal study?  Even if longitudinal studies are launched for the Jewish community, how sustainable are they?  Lastly, are funders able/willing to wait a few years to hear about their investment in the development of these [young (but not necessarily)] Jews?  I would imagine they not only want [more] immediate results, but also immediate data.  For those working with young Jews, whether in their teens, college years (or emerging adulthood), or 20s-30s, we know that their development doesn't just happen at a shabbat dinner; it takes time.  

 - - - - - 

V.  Moving Forward
     My vision is two-fold: the first of which is further discussion of not only the need and desirability (usefulness, even?) of qualitative data, but also the collection of it and publication of it.  The second is for donors to have a greater desiring of qualitative data over simply quantitative data.  Fortunately, since August when I first wrote about this topic, I have been happy to see Andrés Spokoiny writing about this need in various writings of his, whether in The Jewish Week, The Jewish Journal, or eJewish Philanthropy.  He is well-situated as not only a Jewish communal professional, but also someone who has access and influence to donors to encourage them to consider qualitative data.  For a couple of his examples, he wrote in eJewish Philanthropy that "Good measures are those that measure impact, especially long-term impact. Granted, this can be hard and expensive to measure. But measuring the wrong things is not the solution. Investing in capacity to allow organizations to measure themselves is critical for high-performing philanthropy."  He also wrote that

The tendency is to measure what we can (objective metrics), instead of what we should. For example, while this country was founded based on the concept that we all have the right to the “pursuit of happiness”, this is not anything we can objectively measure. We often need to be more creative and subjective in measuring impact. It is not only important how many kids attend Jewish camps, but also the quality of their experience.

  There is hope.

Increasing Expenditures for B'nai B'rith Youth Organization's Summer Programs, 2001-2010

BBYO's expenditures on summer programs greatly increased in the last decade

For some reason, I got distracted while looking up something about B'nai B'rith Youth Organization's summer programs and came across the National Center for Charitable Statistics website that has 990 forms available for viewing!  Anyways, it was fascinating to - just by reading the 990 forms - see how BBYO's spending on summer programs greatly changed upon its separation from erstwhile parent organization, B'nai B'rith International.  Since I only had access on the aforementioned website for 990 forms from 2001-2010, I can only knowledgeably discuss those years.

Excerpt from BBYO's 2001 990 form

    In 2001, B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) spent $46,312 on summer programs, although it stated that "the organization began efforts toward assuming responsibility for various summer programs, formerly program areas of B'nai B'rith International", letting us know that things are about to change dramatically.

     In 2002, BBYO's spending jumped to $1.8mil and, in 2003, it further went up to $2.3mil, continuing on up to $2.5mil in 2004.   In 2004, BBYO stated that "B'nai B'rith Youth Organization has assumed responsibility for various summer programs of B'nai B'rith International", indicating that they had figured out the transition.   
     In 2005, the form stated that "B'nai B'rith Youth Organization  assumed responsibility for various summer programs, formerly of B'nai B'rith International" and the amount spent jumped up to over $4mil, where it also was in 2006.  In 2007, it went up over $5mil, and was close to $5mil in 2008.
    In 2009, another jump was in-store, as the spending went up to over $8.6mil.     Finally, in 2010, it hit the eight-figure mark with over $11mil in spending.  Interestingly, it finally dropped any mention of former B'nai B'rith International programs.

From BBYO's 2010 990 form

      Although the most obvious reason for the great increase in spending is that B'nai B'rith International was no longer the aegis under which the money was spent for summer programs, there are other factors, as well.  One of which was going from the stable the of summer programs from simply being International Convention, International Kallah, International Leadership Training Conference, and the various Chapter Leadership Training Conference sessions to expanding to include various service-learning trips as well as other travelling trips, no longer held exclusively on BBYO/BBI properties.