Brian Field, Caryn Aviv: Judaism Unbound Episode 213 - Passover Your Way
Brian Field and Caryn Aviv, two professional leaders of Judaism Your Way (a Denver-based organization focused on engaging Jews and their loved ones), join Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about Passover. In particular, they take a look at ways in which it can serve as an opportunity for interfaith bridge-building and as a chance to manifest what they term the “Torah of Inclusion.” [1] This episode is the fifth in an ongoing series exploring new, old, and new-old approaches to the holiday of Passover.
(0:01 - 13:51): To begin the episode, Field looks back on the origin-story of Judaism Your Way (JYW). In particular, he emphasizes the ways in which Jewish communities were failing to fully include and empower Jews in interfaith relationships, leaving an institutional gap that could be filled by an organization — like JYW — whose express purpose would be to Jewishly engage those people (and others marginalized in many Jewish spaces). Aviv looks back at her journey from the academic world of Jewish Studies to her role as a rabbi for Judaism Your Way. [2] [3] The two guests hone in specifically on Passover next, first describing JYW’s initial Passover observances, built around community seders. The two guests then speak to why they pivoted away from those seders, and toward marking Mimouna, [4] a Moroccan-Jewish observance at the end of Passover that they’ve channeled toward Muslim-Jewish cooperation, and community-building, in Denver.
(13:52 - 32:08): Aviv reflects on the balance in Jewish ritual — especially on Passover — between that which is ancient and that which is new. [5] Field lifts up a variety of ancient texts, including some that are prominent on Passover, which speak to what Judaism Your Way terms the “Torah of inclusion.” He emphasizes, as one example, the fact that Moses was intermarried. Lex asks Aviv about the topic of pronouns, including the “your” of Judaism Your Way and what he terms the “Jewish ‘We’.” In responding, Aviv reflects on the ways in which “allies and loved ones” can feel a sense of solidarity with the “Jewish ‘We’,” even if they themselves don’t identify as part of it. Field brings up an unorthodox move that he makes at the seder that he hosts, where he — no joke — makes all of his guests complete assignments beforehand! (Okay, we might be overstating this a bit — it’s not worksheets or exams that guests need to do — but guests are asked long before Passover itself to brainstorm their own ideas, and research for new sources, which they can then contribute to the gathered guests on Seder night).
(32:09 - 45:02): Field quotes one of his teachers, who said that rabbis “need to love Jews more than they love Judaism.” In doing so, differentiates between a sense of loyalty to tradition (often a result of the “loving Judaism” side of the equation) and a sense of loyalty to one’s constituents (the “loving Jews” side of it). Shifting gears, Aviv reflects on her recent transition from rabbinical student to fully-minted rabbi. She argues that being a rabbi is by no means a prerequisite to taking on forms of rabbinic leadership. Field agrees, and he asks whether the transitional era in which we find ourselves could be comparable to the transitional era of the early rabbis, [6] after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. To close the episode, he claims that being a rabbi in our times means “holding spaciousness.” Aviv provides the exclamation mark to this episode, by commenting on a gift she received upon rabbinic ordination: a mug on which the text “Mother-Effin Rabbi” is inscribed.
[1] Check out Brian Field’s bio by clicking here. Take a look at Caryn Aviv’s here. For more information about Judaism Your Way, see JudaismYourWay.org.
[2] Dan mentions a report that Caryn Aviv wrote, through the organization Jumpstart. Check out that 2009 report, entitled Haskalah 2.0 and exploring Jewish innovation in historical context, at this link.
[3] Aviv mentions the influence of a project called Storahtelling in her journey from Jewish Studies to rabbinical school (and Judaism Your Way). Learn more about Storahtelling here.
[4] Learn more about the traditions of Mimouna here.
[5] Aviv cites a book called The Art of Gathering, by Priya Parker. You can purchase it for yourself at this link.
[6] For two past episodes of Judaism Unbound that make similar comparisons, see Episode 3: Exodus - Benay Lappe and/or Episode 100: The Third Era - Yitz Greenberg.