At a young adults event and shiur at the Chabad of Paraguay in Asunción, every seat is taken. Although the observant Jewish population there is small, Chabad's program is wildly successful - many young adults become religious and move away to Argentina.

I visited Paraguay 4 years ago, in December of 2007.  I didn’t really have a plan.  I just realized I’d been to every other country in the Southern Cone and that was the one I was missing.  So on a whim I bought a plane ticket and off I flew!

The first thing I did when I landed in Paraguay was to call the local Chabad rabbi.  I didn’t have any hotel reservations – the only things I really had with me were some empanadas to eat, a few clothes, and my camera.  The Chabad shliach there was great! He told me on the phone the address for the Chabad, what roads to tell the taxi driver to take, and exactly how much it should cost.  When I arrived, he heaped kosher food on me – I guess I didn’t need those empanadas after all!

Later that evening, as we gathered in a local park for one of Chabad’s many community events, the rabbi asked me where I was staying. When I just shrugged and said I’d find something, he ran off and came back immediately, telling me I could stay with one of the local families.  This family was so warm, welcoming, and open that they let me stay with them for my entire trip to Paraguay – almost a week! – and even let me join them in their family celebrations and for all their meals.

When I visited Paraguay, there were only 3 families there that kept kosher, including the family I stayed with and the rabbi’s family.  There is a large community of Jews who are not religiously observant and Chabad events are very well-attended.  It’s difficult to keep kosher in Paraguay because there are too few people to make it worth it for shops to supply them.  Still, they have a shochet (butcher) come twice a year from Argentina and many other products are imported from Argentina.

The Jewish couple I stayed with in Asunción, Paraguay (to the right side of the photo) welcome me into their home as if I was family and even let me join in their family celebrations, including a family dinner with the parents! Not only was the entire Jewish community in Paraguay amazing and generous, but the Paraguayan people were all friendly and warm - even the taxi drivers!

Aside from doing lots of things with the Jewish community, I also saw some of the sights.  I walked around old Asunción, which has some beautiful historic buildings. I went shopping in the big, modern malls, where top quality clothes can be bought for very cheap.  I also went to a ranch, an estancia, where I went horseback riding most of the day and then relaxed for a few hours in a hammock while I drank fresh juice.  By the end of my stay, I had become so friendly with the owners that they refused to let me pay!

My experience in Paraguay was fantastic.  Not only was the Jewish community one of the nicest communities I’ve ever met, but all of the people in Paraguay seem to be really, really nice.  I even sat down one day and talked for a while with a homeless family who dig through garbage to find recycleables.  Even though they were poor, they were some of the nicest people I have ever met.  Paraguay might be a difficult country in which to keep kosher, but if you visit the Chabad, they will feed you well and be incredibly welcoming.  It’s definitely worth a visit!

Beutiful Tallits for women and girls

Last week we visited a Judaica shop in New Jersey where there was a large selection of girls’ and women’s tallits. It is my first time seeing such a selection. I’ve seen a pink tallit or two for sale in the past but never so many tallits all in one place.

The store owner explained that they are a big seller and very popular with the Jewish conservative communities. Most girls will come in and get a tallit for their bat mitzvah.

I grew up in an orthodox community and never saw a women or girl wearing a tallit.

So it got me thinking is it okay for a female to wear a tallit? Is there any halachic problem with this?

Many ancient authorities permitted the wearing of tallit by women.  In fact, I’ve read that Rashi’s daughters wore tallit and tefillin.  Other famous rabbis like Rabbeinu Tam and the Rambam also permitted it.  It was only in medieval times that the Maharam pushed that women not wear tallit.  The Rema also stated that it’s an act of arrogance for a woman to wear a tallit.  The Maharil and the Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel both state that the tallit is a “male garment” and so a woman shouldn’t wear it.

Today whether or not women should wear tallit is still being debated.  Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik has said that the woman’s intention is what makes the difference.  If the woman is wearing the tallit to bring her closer to G-d, then it’s perfectly alright.  However, some women wear tallit just to make a political point, usually about traditional gender status and roles (that they can be “just like men”) – in this case, it is not permitted.  I guess you could ask yourself if you’re still wearing the tallit to pray even when there is nobody around to see you. There are still some orthodox rabbis who say that women should not wear tallit. However, in modern orthodoxy today it is generally accepted that women are wearing tallit for the right reasons, especially since it’s become more common and a woman is less likely to stand out for doing so.

Women and girls Tallits

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, another contemporary orthodox rabbi, has said that any woman who wants to do a mitzvah can do it and be rewarded for it, even if she’s not obligated to do it. Although he does say that if she’s wearing a four-cornered garment it should have tzitzit and that it should be different from a man’s garment.  I think by looking at the photos here, you can tell that women’s tallit are different from men’s.  Other rabbis, such as Rabbi Yomtob ben Yisrael Alghazi and Rabbi  Yisrael Yaaqob Alghazi, have encouraged and admired women who wear tallit because they inspire men to be even more strict in their mitzvot.

Anyway if you are looking for a beautiful women’s or girl’s tallit I can send you the details to the shop. I looked around online for girls’ tallits and the ones we saw in the shop were nicer.

Have a great day!

Wild turkeys visited our friends' backyard, leading to the question: Is turkey kosher?

This week, Rabbi Ben and I went to visit one of his friends in New Jersey.  I was sitting in the living room, working on my laptop, when I heard his friend’s mom outside, talking to her grandson.  “Look at the wild turkeys!” she was saying. Wild turkeys?

Yes, wild turkeys! I grabbed my camera and took a few photos.  We weren’t sure what they were doing in the middle of a suburban development, but they sure were pretty.  And we were all amazed at how tame they seemed to be.  They weren’t afraid of us at all and let us get almost close enough to touch them!  Of course, someone had to suggest that we catch them and eat them.  Fortunately, nobody around was certified as a shochet (ritual kosher butcher), so the wild turkeys went free.

But wait – is turkey even kosher?

This week’s parsha includes a long list of birds we’re not allowed to eat.  According to one translation, these include: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the buzzard, the kite, all kinds of hawks, all kinds of ravens, the dark desert owl, the kestrel, the gull, all kinds of sparrow hawks, the little owl, the long eared owl, barn and screech owls, the nigh prowler, the gier eagle, the fish owl, the stork, all kinds of herons, the hoopoe, and the bat.  We learn from the Torah and from the sages that we don’t eat birds that feed off carrion, nor do we eat carnivorous birds (including those that eat fish).  We also learn that kosher birds must “have an extra toe or a crop or a gizzard that can be peeled by hand.”

The turkey certainly does seem to meet all the requirements set forth in the Torah for being a kosher bird.  However, in Judaism, we also have a concept that if we don’t have a tradition of eating something, it’s not kosher for us.  That’s why certain Jews living in Africa still have a tradition of eating locusts, but most of us couldn’t try them. (I’m so disappointed!)  Up until the European discovery of the Americas, there were no Jews in North America and, therefore, no tradition of eating turkey. So what did they do when they got here and discovered turkey, a bird with all the signs but none of the tradition?

A wild turkey foraging for food. Turkeys have all the signs of being a kosher bird.

When the Jews first came to North America, they were divided into two camps vis-a-vis the turkey.  Half the Jews took to their new home well and accepted the turkey as kosher as part of their adjustment.  The other half insisted that because there was no tradition of eating turkey, it’s not kosher.  So, where does that leave us today?

Today, turkey is considered to be a kosher bird.  Jews in North America have been eating turkey now for over 250 years, which is more than enough time to establish a tradition of eating it.  And although a few Eastern European Jews might still cling to their great-great-great grandfathers’ traditions of it not being kosher, turkey has become an incredibly popular Jewish food overall.  In fact, Israelis eat more turkey per person each year than Americans do!

So go ahead and enjoy some turkey this Shabbos! SHABBAT SHALOM!

The first time I learned about rideshare was from my brother years ago. He had been using it for a long time to travel between Montreal and Ottawa. He also used it to get from Montreal to Toronto. But what was really impressive was when he showed up in Minnesota having taken a rideshare from Montreal. He paid $35 to go the 24hr journey with a group of three girls who were headed there for a music festival.

What is ride share?

Rideshare is where people can offer lifts and look for lifts. Many more people are doing this now because the cost of gas is high. Also, people will do it just for fun, if they are driving somewhere anyway they can find someone to talk to along the way. Others may use it if they are making a long trip and would like help with the driving. There are even people out there who make very good money offering rides there.

Where can I find rideshares?

The best place to find a rideshare or to post that you are looking for a ride share is craigslist. On the top left column under ‘community,’ there is section.

There are some other sites which are specific to rideshare but it depends on where you are traveling from or to. Best to do a Google search.

Is ride share safe?

I think rideshare is very safe. Most people using it are perfectly healthy and normal. If you are a guy than it’s probably never going to be a problem. As a single female you may want to travel with someone else.

With rideshare you can usually talk to the person and find out about them. Sometimes you will want to meet them or they you, if you are going on a long journey.

What is my rideshare experience?

Here are a few of them

1. Los Angeles to Portland Oregon. Traveled with a Chinese guy in his yellow sports car. I helped with some of the driving and paid $50. He was from Portland and went to LA to visit friends. He wanted some help with the driving mostly.

2. Montreal to Toronto. The guy comes to Montreal every weekend to work. He takes 4-6 paying passengers at $35 each way in his van. This means he’s making up to $420/weekend on trip he’s got to make anyway.

3. Washington DC to New Jersey. The guy was a young professional who comes down from New Jersey often for the weekend to visit his friends. Rachel and I paid $40 and he picked us up where we were staying in Silver Spring and dropped us off where we are now staying in West Orange, New Jersey. He does really need the money but enjoys it for fun to meet new and interesting people.

In all three situations I got door to door service!

I also not only like rideshare for the convenience but it is also an adventure.

Rabbi Ben with scouts in Indonesia

We were not sure if we were going to spend Shabbat in Maryland or in New Jersey. We were already in the DC area and decided a few more days of catching up with friends would be good.

The last time I was in Silver Spring was for the ‘97 National Boy Scout Jamboree. We were the Shomer Shabbat and kosher contingent. We made up two troops comprised of 35 scouts and 5 adults to each troop. As part of the Jamboree experience we spent Shabbat in Silver Spring. It amazed me how the community was able to organize Shabbat hospitality for the 80 of us.

This past Shabbat, using Shabbat.com, a great site that matches hosts and people looking to be hosted, we stayed at a wonderful family in the Kemp Mill area. It was great to be able to see some old scouting friends – some I hadn’t seen in over 10 years! I was Chazzan at the Kemp Mill Synagogue where I davened mussaf. As usual, all the old ladies came over to tell me how beautiful it was and I was happy to make them happy.

Tomorrow please G-d I’ll write about how we got to New Jersey using ride share.