tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79600966932410444252024-03-14T03:10:15.373-04:00Mensch·MarksLife Lessons of a Human Rabbi - Wisdom for Untethered Times - #1 Amazon Best Seller in JudaismJoshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-59865318199010945492019-09-10T09:41:00.001-04:002019-09-10T09:44:45.452-04:00Mensch-Marks review in Tampa Magazine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Click on the photo to enlarge, and <span style="background-color: white; color: #394856; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://files.constantcontact.com/59fef7db001/5e250bbd-c42b-4a4e-abfe-7897adecba1e.jpg">click here for a pdf version</a></span></span></div>
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<br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-70622322377933855942019-07-17T08:51:00.004-04:002019-07-17T08:51:43.882-04:00From JewishMediaReview
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Mensch·Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi - Wisdom for Untethered Times</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Joshua Hammerman. HCI Books. Paperback. 252 Pages. $14.95.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rabbi Joshua Hammerman has served his synagogue, Temple Beth El, in Stamford Connecticut, for over 30 years, with great distinction. Trained as a journalist and a rabbi, he has pursued both careers with great distinction.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Mensch·Marks</i><b><i> </i></b>creates a brand-new genre. It is memoir as sacred story as how-to book, a series of personal vignettes in dialogue with one another over the span of decades, resonating with eternal ideas that span centuries. It traces the author's own personal growth while providing a road map for people of all backgrounds seeking a life of moral vision. The wisdom is shared not from a pulpit on high, but rather from an unfolding story of a fellow traveler, one who has stumbled, failed and persevered, struggling with the questions large and small, and through it all has tried to live with dignity and grace.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hammerman’s new book is a delight to read. If Rabbi Hammerman has his way, the word mensch will become as popular as that other Jewish favorite, the bagel.</span></span></div>
<br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-38239620995575833942019-07-12T11:54:00.002-04:002019-07-22T09:28:58.160-04:00From Midwest Book Review: "An Extraordinary and Potentially Life Enhancing Read"<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">And
Midwest Book review just shared:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Judaic
Studies Shelf </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><a href="http://www.midwestbookreview.com/wbw/jul_19.htm#JudaicStudies">http://www.midwestbookreview.com/wbw/jul_19.htm#JudaicStudies</a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mensch-Marks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">Joshua Hammerman<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">Health
Communications, Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">3201 S.W. 15th
Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.hcibooks.com/">www.hcibooks.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">9780757321771,
$14.95, PB, 240pp, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/">www.amazon.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">Synopsis:
"Mensch-Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi―Wisdom for Untethered
Times" is Rabbi Joshua Hammerman personal memoir told as a sacred story,
as how-to book, as a series of personal vignettes in dialogue with one another
over the span of decades, resonating with eternal ideas that span centuries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">"Mensch-Marks"
traces Rabbi Hammerman's own personal growth while providing a road map for
people of all backgrounds seeking a life of moral vision. The wisdom is shared
not from a pulpit on high, but rather from an unfolding story of a fellow
traveler, one who has stumbled, failed, and persevered, struggling with the
questions large and small. Through it all, Rabbi Hammerman has tried to live
with dignity and grace, what he calls the "nobility of normalcy."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">The central
message of Rabbi Hammerman's "Mensch-Marks" is that we can turn things
around, one mensch at a time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b><i>Critique:
Inherently interesting and ultimately inspiring, "Mensch-Marks: Life
Lessons of a Human Rabbi―Wisdom for Untethered Times" is an extraordinary
and potentially life enhancing read that is unreservedly recommended for
community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections, as
well as Judaic Studies supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that "Mensch-Marks" is also available in a
digital book format (eTextbook, $10.99).<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;">Editorial Note: A
celebrated rabbi and award-winning journalist and blogger, Joshua Hammerman,
has served Temple Beth El in Stamford, Connecticut, for over three decades. His
essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, Times
of Israel, The New York Jewish Week and many other places. Rabbi Hammerman was
a winner of the Simon Rockower Award, the highest honor in Jewish journalism,
for columns on the Bernard Madoff case. In 2018, he received an award from the
Religion News Association for excellence in commentary. Rabbi Hammerman
received ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary after getting an MA in
journalism from NYU and a BA, magna cum laude, from Brown University.</span></div>
<br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-11322289532645297912019-07-11T16:09:00.000-04:002019-07-12T12:37:39.428-04:00Another Glowing Review of “Mensch-Marks”<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px;">Review of “Mensch-Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi – Wisdom for Untethered Times” by Rabbi Joshua Hammerman. It appeared in the </span><a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">July 12, 2019</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px;">, issue of the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton’s The Reporter, located in Vestal, NY. You can also find the review on The Reporter’s website at </span><a href="http://www.thereportergroup.org/Article.aspx?aID=5242" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #954f72; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px;">www.thereportergroup.org/Article.aspx?aID=5242</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px;">.</span><br />
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<h2 style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-top: 0px;">
Book Review: Trauma and everyday life</h2>
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By: Rabbi Rachel Esserman</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">Sometimes the most important teaching a rabbi does occurs outside the classroom – when giving sermons and lectures or during counseling sessions. Two rabbis offer the lessons they learned over the course of their rabbinate in two new works: Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D., discusses how to overcome traumatic experiences in “Wounds into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma” (Adam Kadmon Books/Monkfish Book Publishing Company), while Rabbi Joshua Hammerman focuses more on everyday living in “MenschMarks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi – Wisdom for Untethered Times” (Health Communications). Both rabbis hope their thoughts will help readers live more meaningful lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">Much of Firestone’s work is based on what is known as the epigenetic factor, the idea that experiences – particularly traumatic experiences – can be passed through the generations even though the experience does not change their DNA. What the trauma does do is change people’s body chemistry and reactions that are then passed to their descendants. She sees this most clearly with the families of Holocaust survivors when the second and third generations’ react to events based on what happened to their parents and grandparents, even when they are unaware of exactly what they suffered. However, those are not the only traumas she discusses: Firestone also interviewed Israel soldiers who suffer from post-traumatic stress and Israeli parents who lost children during their army service or because of terrorist attacks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">The first section of her work contains stories of people Firestone counseled or interviewed for this book. She looked for people who overcame trauma, not by ignoring it, but by realizing the power the trauma had over them and finding ways to limit its effects. She notes that most people’s natural first reactions – to either isolate themselves, be hyper vigilant or numb one’s feelings – not only don’t help in the long run, but create more problems. The second section focuses on ways to heal from trauma, including the importance of facing a loss and then harnessing the power of pain. She also notes the need to find a community that can help one to heal and to stop identifying as a victim. Other suggested ways to find wisdom in trauma are to resist falling into a blaming stance, since dehumanizing others only serves to increase trauma, and to take action to put this newly found wisdom into helping others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">Firestone’s original interest in learning about trauma comes from personal experience. The discussions of her family – her parents and siblings – were the most interesting in the book. She notes the traumas her parents faced and how their reaction to them affected her and her siblings. After one brother committed suicide and another sister began to experience symptoms of mental illness, Firestone found herself looking for answers to their dilemmas in order to save herself. Her original journey took her far from Judaism, but she then came to realize the benefits of Jewish religious practices – although not the same ones as her parents – something that led her to become a rabbi.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">While Firestone’s focus is on people who have suffered major traumas, Hammerman looks more closely at how to become a mensch – a good person – during regular, everyday life. Over 42 chapters (which represent the 42 stops the Israelites made when wandering through the desert toward the Promised Land), his mostly brief essays suggest ways to attain personal growth. What makes these essays work is that Hammerman is not preachy: he clearly acknowledges his own faults and how he has struggled to overcome them. Sections focus on such themes as work, loving, pain, belonging, the importance of normalcy, failure and forgiveness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">The most interesting chapter (MenschMark 34) looks at Hammerman’s own crisis, one that occurred after he wrote a satirical article about religious extremism and sports fanaticism. The backlash was quick and fierce. In fact, the article was mentioned on national television, but the comments were not positive. Hammerman admits that he went too far in his satire and began reaching out to evangelicals in order to better understand their thoughts. He does receive (sometimes lukewarm) support from his congregation and greater support from the interfaith group to which he belongs. The author turned his experience into a sermon the next High Holidays – not to justify what he wrote, but to note that everyone makes mistakes. While he emphasizes the need to hold ourselves to high standards, he also discusses how we must learn to forgive ourselves and others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">Other essays that struck a chord include: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">MenschMark 6, which includes a list of subjects that are usually considered taboo to speak about on the High Holiday and the reasons it’s important to talk about them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">MenschMark 13, when Hammerman writes about the dilemma of having your child in the hospital at the same time one of your congregants is also having a medical crisis in the same building. What is more important in this case: being a parent or being a rabbi?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">MenschMark 14, when he writes about his developmentally disabled brother and the fragility of life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">MenschMark 16, which talks about the beauty and necessity of boredom, and how it can enrich our lives and lead us to be everyday heroes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">MenschMark 24, which tells of a funeral Hammerman performed for a gay man who requested that his homosexuality be outed during the eulogy in the hope that it would help those who were unable to accept their true sexual nature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">Hammerman ends his work writing about how important it is to find meaning in our lives. He echos what his father used to say to him – “be a mensch” – and questions whether or not he has attained that status. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">Both Hammerman and Firestone hope their readers will emerge better and wiser people.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px;"><br /></span>Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-82874544825921842542019-07-01T14:56:00.001-04:002019-07-01T14:56:08.789-04:00More Praise for Mensch-Marks!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIxLXauBURauf0Ny96S3C5HtY3hA_YG5FZjDoDLTX-M1YliJ2LzofsHIa4ctKR_0D4bgpQhM-NJUuSGMjCfVsXmsmZhBPlVFxKjbl20jedael2uUKaqN3kypqBl4bdqrx49KA975ztgYA/s1600/2BB316AF-99FF-40E7-B1D8-2BFB744BD857.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIxLXauBURauf0Ny96S3C5HtY3hA_YG5FZjDoDLTX-M1YliJ2LzofsHIa4ctKR_0D4bgpQhM-NJUuSGMjCfVsXmsmZhBPlVFxKjbl20jedael2uUKaqN3kypqBl4bdqrx49KA975ztgYA/s640/2BB316AF-99FF-40E7-B1D8-2BFB744BD857.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-19635900546855443362019-06-25T10:09:00.002-04:002019-06-25T10:09:42.403-04:00The Alef-Bet of Being a Mensch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWcwdP262jQMVRA4eDxRoOTMRyF7FBGH-B7cQ_lKwRH2OkGk-zFAjAFoLaMvItX8GP45LRL2PqilOEDRt4WNiBLDYlvv-GUz0lXnZLFc0H_MxNjfPNlDjfnIdi_aQidiYBFn6YumLIF8p/s1600/scan034764.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1036" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWcwdP262jQMVRA4eDxRoOTMRyF7FBGH-B7cQ_lKwRH2OkGk-zFAjAFoLaMvItX8GP45LRL2PqilOEDRt4WNiBLDYlvv-GUz0lXnZLFc0H_MxNjfPNlDjfnIdi_aQidiYBFn6YumLIF8p/s640/scan034764.tif" width="414" /></a></div>
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<i>Click to enlarge. Courtesy of Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center</i></div>
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Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-28657637774344879952019-06-25T08:25:00.002-04:002019-06-26T08:49:56.262-04:00The Mensch Matrix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4yBsmBSr-89-IE71kf3W-ggBgtx2cchdtQcdKslVtTOkh8EonNcX5r-7pmX_I3y1HPMqOqdnuYFprTOpHnu6yf3yYoTj6WlJiXCqol_bmz2jx26LW3OzbV7pxWkle8543_cLyQy17Zn6/s1600/menschmatrix.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4yBsmBSr-89-IE71kf3W-ggBgtx2cchdtQcdKslVtTOkh8EonNcX5r-7pmX_I3y1HPMqOqdnuYFprTOpHnu6yf3yYoTj6WlJiXCqol_bmz2jx26LW3OzbV7pxWkle8543_cLyQy17Zn6/s640/menschmatrix.tif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Above is an attempt at demonstrating the interconnected qualities of menschiness, sent by Jonathan Gellman, a reader of Mensch-Marks. Click to enlarge.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">See the original letter explaining the Matrix below (click to enlarge)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KxmgjQvPcSYlVpQIZTwgwu-w8YP-2MJzwyoLzcMpFQM5eaDIj4GzDaHZp2IYDhALEIkm25nkR_FoYYhlrrS0PWCGRY9rTVB2PTf-jGiyNUfhtIHI4RPsCbQ_Vkx3z8rU2MQVr03s0bTX/s1600/matrixletter.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KxmgjQvPcSYlVpQIZTwgwu-w8YP-2MJzwyoLzcMpFQM5eaDIj4GzDaHZp2IYDhALEIkm25nkR_FoYYhlrrS0PWCGRY9rTVB2PTf-jGiyNUfhtIHI4RPsCbQ_Vkx3z8rU2MQVr03s0bTX/s640/matrixletter.tif" width="494" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Addendum to the letter:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dear
Rabbi Hammerman:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">You are welcome to post my Mensch Matrix in your blog, which will
hopefully lead to further variation and improvement. Among the challenges of trying to categorize, does Humor (a largely
postbiblical virtue) really lead to Transcendence (for Shakespeare, maybe), or
should it be moved to a rung leading to Humanity? I lean to that latter
result, although in the current progression toward Humanity, Humor seems to
come from a different path. That dilemma may suggest the limits of
two-dimensional tables and matrices in conveying how traits are shaped into a
personality: in our human complexity, traits can not only play out differently
for individuals, but also influence the direction of more than one path of
feeling or thought.) </span><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">With
best wishes for your blog and your next work-in-progress.</span></div>
<div class="ydpebb0352dmsonormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jonathan </span><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-80780222835719107222019-06-19T17:32:00.000-04:002019-06-22T17:34:48.212-04:00Mensch-Marks: The Class<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-78080476077279307392019-05-31T10:32:00.002-04:002019-05-31T10:32:17.882-04:00Summer and a Good Book - Oregon Jewish Life<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 12.5px;">
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="http://orjewishlife.com/summer-reading-2019/">http://orjewishlife.com/summer-reading-2019/</a></em></strong><br />
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></em></strong>
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Mensch Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi </em></strong>by Rabbi Joshua Hammerman (HCI; April 2, 2019) 240 pages; $14.95. The book speaks to character and what it takes to turn humanity around by being human. Rabbi Hammerman draws lessons from how the Hindu god of dance and how the Sabbath anchors the workweek, why A.A. Milne inspired his “The Torah of Pooh,” how the diverse cast in a high school production of “Fiddler on the Roof” forced him to challenge his own views on intermarriage, and the temptation of the forbidden Oreo. Being a mensch means seeking justice tempered with compassion, understanding our human connection, serving a higher cause and living with dignity and integrity. In a time when every measure of civility is being overturned, being a mensch may be the only measure of character that truly matters. “If by sharing what I’ve learned, I can add a modicum of generosity, honesty and human connection in a world overflowing with cruelty, loneliness and deceit, then I’ll have done my job,” says Rabbi Hammerman.</div>
Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-90475053855746715972019-05-30T13:15:00.000-04:002019-06-22T17:35:12.661-04:00The Edge - Summer Books <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.edgemagazine.net/2019/06/new-books-summer-2019/">http://www.edgemagazine.net/2019/06/new-books-summer-2019/</a></div>
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<br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-83302433332546327912019-05-24T16:13:00.000-04:002019-06-22T17:35:43.093-04:00Brown Alumni Magazine <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-15948543756875358272019-05-23T18:07:00.002-04:002019-05-25T16:10:45.813-04:00Conversation with Rabbi Joshua Hammerman - Connecticut Jewish Ledger<div class="entry-heading cat-meta-line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Roboto, Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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Conversation with Rabbi Joshua Hammerman</h2>
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<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Mensch Marks” delivers a little wisdom for untethered times</span></h2>
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By Stacey Dresner</div>
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<a href="http://www.jewishledger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mensch-marks.jpg" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; display: block !important; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 200ms ease-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="alignright wp-image-50143 size-full" height="618" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" src="https://www.jewishledger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mensch-marks.jpg" srcset="http://www.jewishledger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mensch-marks.jpg 400w, http://www.jewishledger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mensch-marks-194x300.jpg 194w" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; float: right; font: inherit; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 0px 10px 20px; position: initial; vertical-align: baseline;" width="400" /></a>STAMFORD – Rabbi Joshua Hammerman calls himself an “aspiring mensch.”<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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Spiritual leader of Temple Beth El in Stamford for the past three decades, Hammerman has also served as president of the Interfaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut and the Stamford Board of Rabbis, and as chaplain for the Stamford Police Department.</div>
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While he would never actually call himself a mensch – true mensches don’t lack that kind of humility, he points out – Hammerman has written a new book in hopes of inspiring others to to work on their humanity a bit, in these times of uncivil discourse and hatred.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mensch Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi</span> is a collection of 42 essays divided into sections such as “Work and Worship,” “Loving and Letting Go,” “Pain and Perseverance,” and “Failure, Forgiveness, Justice and Kindness” among others.</div>
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Rabbi Hammerman was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1983 after receiving a master’s degree in journalism from New York University and a B.A. from Brown University. His journalism degree has come in handy – his column, “On One Foot,” has appeared regularly in <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The New York Jewish Week</span> since 1994. His blog, On One Foot, is followed worldwide.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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He is the winner of the 2008 Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism and the 2018 Religion New Association Award for Excellence in Commentary. He is a regular contributor to the <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Times of Israel</span>, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Religion News Service and his personal essays have also appeared in the <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Times Magazine</span> and the <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Washington Post</span>. He is the author of <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">thelordismyshepherd.com: Seeking God in Cyberspace</span> and co-author of the children’s book, <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I Have Some Questions About God.</span></div>
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Hammerman serves on the Rabbinic Leadership Council of the Jewish Theological Seminary and is a member of the faculty of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. He has been deeply involved in many Jewish think tanks, including JESNA’s Jewish Education 3.0 project, STAR-Tech and Synaplex.</div>
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Rabbi Hammerman spoke to the <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jewish</span> <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ledger</span> about his new book and his own goals of living a “more human” life.</div>
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<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 0px 28px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JEWISH LEDGER (JL): Your book is very timely, given the divisiveness that seems to be consuming the world. Did you write it in response to this sense of global upheaval or have you been contemplating writing a book on becoming a mensch for a while?</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 0px 28px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JOSHUA HAMMERMAN (JH): </b>I think it is sort of all of the above. The essays and ideas and thoughts that have gone into this book have been part of a common thread of my whole rabbinate over the last three plus decades, so in one sense I started working on this many, many years ago. On the other hand, in trying to pull together all of those themes, it all seemed to keep coming back to the notion of being a mensch and what it means to be a mensch. My father literally told me, “Be a mensch” – so I have always felt that to be the essence of my own message.</div>
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Of course, you are dealing with a situation where the world is coming apart at the seams, especially morally, and Judaism has so much to offer along those lines, and my own experiences have so much to offer. So, it all came together.</div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JL: Would you categorize this a self-help book?<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></b></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JH:</b> Yeah, I think so…it’s not a direct how to…do this and you’ll be a mensch. Its more of a “walk with me” – not even “follow me” because I’ve always felt that rabbis or clergy are not shepherds leading the way, but in fact fellow travellers. So this is my journey.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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There are 42 short chapters – we call them Mensch Marks, sort of like bench marks of “menschiness,” which I know is corny but it fit well. The chapters correspond in a way to 42 stops that were made by the children of Israel on their way out of the wilderness as they headed from Egypt to the Promised Land. There were 42 stops noted at the end of the Book of Numbers and according to some authorities, like the Baal Shem Tov for instance, they correspond to 42 stages of a person’s life.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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So, however you look at it, for me they are stages of growth, but not necessarily chronological. I don’t necessarily think I am a better person than I was 30 years ago. But they are thematic. The way they are drawn out in the book is that you have different sort of themes that have been the focus at different times of my life.</div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JL: You note in the chapter “Nobility of Normalcy” that one can be a normal person with a so-called boring life and that’s a good thing – that is mensch-like. Can you explain that?</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 0px 28px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JH:</b> Yes, it’s been a key to Jewish survival over the centuries that it’s not always about what’s on the front pages. We spent about 2,000 years on the back pages of the newspaper. It’s the courage to do the little things, like get up in the morning, get married, have children, be kind, be careful, set limits and restrictions in your own life, sanctify one moment over another, etc. These are part of the essence of being Jewish, but also they are the kind of nobility that we should celebrate in a world that has gone so crazy.</div>
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It’s a way for each of us to find our own center; our own sense of purpose and that is done through just being grateful and showing appreciation and all of that.</div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JL: What has the response to the book been thus far?</b></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JH:</b> It’s been out for about a month and I’ve been getting some really nice responses from the Jewish community but also from non-Jews as well.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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I think “mensch” is a word whose time has come. There are a lot of Yiddish words that have made it into English – like bagel, chutzpah, kvetch, things like that. Mensch needs to get up to that level where you don’t even think of it as a Yiddish word, where it is trending, where it is something that we are all striving to be. And I’m hoping that we can get there.</div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 0px 28px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JL: Is there anybody out there in public life whom you would like to send the book to? Someone who might benefit from working on his or her “menschiness?”</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px 0px 28px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JH:</b> There are a lot of names. More than one of my endorsers has said that every politician in America should read this and that every rabbi should read this. Senator [Richard] Blumenthal wrote a beautiful endorsement – he is a member of my congregation. So he also agreed that people in public life should read it.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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There comes a point at which rabbis and clergy have to take stands; they have to have principles. And so one of the aspects of being a mensch is to be able to call out, to speak truth to power directly, saying when things are wrong, and certainly there are things that are wrong right now.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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I have a very large congregation and it’s a big tent. There are people who don’t agree with me on every issue, so I need to be very respectful of them. But I think it is possible for a mensch, or an aspiring mensch, as I try to be, to both be civil and principled and chew bubblegum at the same time.</div>
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Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-37004297873960691112019-05-01T10:49:00.000-04:002019-05-01T10:49:25.143-04:00Review of Mensch-Marks by Rabbi Jack Riemer<h1 class="article__heading" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Oswald !important; margin: 0.67em 0px;">
A rabbi on rabbis and other mentschen</h1>
<span class="article__subhead" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">BOOKS</span><br />
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<span class="byline__separator" style="box-sizing: border-box;">| </span><span class="byline__time" style="box-sizing: border-box;">May 01, 2019</span></div>
<span class="article__byline" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Reviewed by Jack Riemer</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="article__byline" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Advocate correspondent</span><br />
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I think that every student who graduates rabbinical school should be given this book – and should be asked to read it twice.</div>
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Why twice?</div>
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Because the first time they read it, they won’t really believe it is true, or that it applies to them. They will think that the practice of turning the rabbi into some kind of a superman or some kind of a divine messenger ended in the Middle Ages, and that their rational and liberal congregants won’t do that to them … but they will. Just yesterday, I wished one of my congregants a happy birthday, and he replied, “Thank you. May your wish go directly from your mouth to God’s ears. After all, for you it is a local call, isn’t it?” I just winced inside and smiled. What else can you do?</div>
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To say that this is a book meant for rabbis is to limit it unjustly. It is meant for all those who want to lead a purposeful life and have not yet found the way to do so. It is meant for all those who have experienced love beyond their deserving and who want to share it with others without appearing vain – or even worse – ‘religious’. It is meant for all those who know how cruel this world can sometimes be, and yet want to do what they can to seek out and to explore the love that is within it.</div>
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I read this book twice: once as a rabbi looking for sermonic material, and one as a human being who hopes to become a mentsch.</div>
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The first time I marked many passages for future reading, for Joshua Hammerman is not only a rabbi; he is also a journalist, and so he knows how to write with imagination and skill. For instance, how do you talk about Halacha from the pulpit if you are a rabbi? Do you say that it is the term for Jewish Law or do you say that the dictionary says that it comes from a root that means ‘the way you should walk’? You can do that if you want to, but if you do, you will see their eyes closing and their heads dropping before you get any further, for they have heard you and they have heard other rabbis say these clichés many times. </div>
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Rabbi Hammerman does it this way: He talks about how they trained their dog not to go into the yard of their next-door neighbor and cause havoc there. How did they do it? By buying him a neck collar that gave their dog a jolt whenever he tried to climb out of their yard. After a few tries, their dog learned to stay where he belonged … And that is the function of Jewish Law.</div>
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It sets off a jolt when the child reaches for a package of cookies in the supermarket, and then reads the ingredients, and reluctantly puts it down. It sets off a jolt when a father is tempted to buy a copy of the National Enquirer at the cash register and then realizes that he shouldn’t. And it sets off a jolt when a husband is tempted to engage in an extra-marital affair, and then decides not to, tempting as it may be. He refrains because, if he does, an invisible whistle goes off in his mind, and he remembers who he is and what he stands for, and what he can and cannot do… And that is what we mean by Halacha.</div>
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I bet his people sat up when he used this image to explain the purpose of the law. And I think my people will too, if I should ever quote it from him.</div>
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There are a great many such examples of creating writing in this book that will make the sermons of his colleagues much better. But that is not the main purpose of this book, far from it. The purpose of the book is to tell the story of how he gradually came to comprehend the role of compassion and love and menshlichkeit in his own life, and how he gradually learned how to share these insights with his people – both in words and by example.</div>
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The most moving chapter of the book, at least for me, was the one in which he talked about his own failure. He watched the football player, Tim Tebow, winning game after game, and he saw an almost messianic fervor among his fans. Tebow was a devout evangelist, and he and his fans began proclaiming that his victories were the work of God. Hammerman was so disturbed by this phenomenon that he sat down and dashed off a blog blasting fundamentalism, evangelicalism, and all such faiths as superstition.</div>
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And then came the reaction! He got hate mail by the hundreds on his computer. He got editorials condemning him for his bigotry in newspapers from coast to coast. Even some of his congregants turned against him for having offended their Christian neighbors. And he realized that they were right. He had written a hasty and a foolish blog, in which he had labeled whole communities that he really knew little about as backward and as potentially dangerous, and there was no way that he could make amends for it. He realized that the more he talked about it, the worse it would be.</div>
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Eventually, the affair blew over. The local ministerial association wrote a letter to the newspapers defending him. And people went on with their lives. But he decided to speak about what he had learned from this mistake that he had made on Yom Kippur. He spoke about it, not in order to defend himself and what he had done. He spoke about it so that he could tell his people what he had learned from experiencing failure, and so that he could tell them that they, too, would be better off if instead of gloating over their successes, they faced up to their failures. He brought examples from Silicon Valley and from other such places where people have learned from their mistakes, but he focused primarily on his own – and on theirs. And his people came away that night with two important spiritual lessons. The first was that their rabbi was human and could mistakes. And the second was that they, too, were fallible, and that their task – especially on Yom Kippur – was not to deny their faults and not to cover up their shortcomings, but to learn from them</div>
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.</div>
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Is that not a powerful lesson that all of us need to learn?</div>
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I know some powerful and successful executives and I know some powerful and successful rabbis who have not yet learned this lesson – but we should – and therefore, I urge all those of us who have ever failed – in other words – all of us – to read this book and to learn this and some of the otherwise lessons that it contains.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic;">Rabbi Jack Riemer is the author of two new books: “Finding God in Unexpected Places” and “The Day That I Met Father Isaac at the Supermarket.” Both are available from <a class="autohyperlink" href="http://amazon.com/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #565656;">Amazon.com</a>.</span></div>
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Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-53974932928570653762019-05-01T10:40:00.000-04:002019-05-25T16:12:25.216-04:00BOSTON JEWISH ADVOCATE - May 1<div>
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<span class="byline__separator" style="box-sizing: border-box;">| </span><span class="byline__time" style="box-sizing: border-box;">May 01, 2019</span></div>
<span class="article__byline" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">By Rabbi Joshua Hammerman</span><br />
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<div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px 4px 5px;">
Cantor Hammerman and his son Josh in 1978 COURTESY PHOTO</div>
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I became a rabbi on a wintry evening in the late 1960s – a year or two before my bar mitzvah. It was Chanukah and my dad, a beloved, long-tenured cantor of Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline, had procured two coveted tickets to a Bruins game. Hockey was king back then and I had been anticipating this best ever Chanukah gift for weeks.</div>
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We headed to the game but needed to make one stop on the way – at a hospital in Chelsea to light the holiday candles. With each traffic light slowing the already snail-like traffic near the Tobin Bridge, I sensed that we might be late for the game. But once we reached the hospital, I was drawn like a moth to the dancing flames of those colorful candles, as reflected in the tearful eyes of the patients, many of whom were wheelchair bound.</div>
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When we finally got to the Garden, the Zamboni was preparing the ice for the second period. But for me, it didn’t matter that we were late. I felt so lucky to have shared that moment with my father. I can’t for the life of me recall the final score of the game, or even the opponent; but I’ll never forget how, on an icy evening along the shores of the Mystic River, my dad’s summons came through loud and clear.</div>
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<div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; padding: 0px 4px 5px;">
Cantor Michal Hammerman</div>
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“Be a mentsch.”</div>
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The last thing I ever expected to be was a rabbi. I had seen what being a clergy kid had meant for my family: life in a fishbowl, scrutinized from birth, talked about in the aisles of Marshalls, waiting in the car as Dad popped over to plot seven for a quick unveiling before heading to Grandma’s for lunch.</div>
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But his call became my calling.</div>
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On New Year’s Day, 1979, Cantor Michal Hammerman died suddenly of a heart attack. He was just 60 years old, and I was in the first year of rabbinical school. So his message to me, as powerful as it was while he was alive, became amplified exponentially with his passing.</div>
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“Be a mentsch.”</div>
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What is a mentsch?</div>
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Dr. Saul Levine notes in Psychology Today that a mentsch’s personality characteristics include decency, wisdom, kindness, honesty, trustworthiness, respect, benevolence, compassion and altruism.</div>
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But that’s not the half of it. If Eskimos have 50 words for snow, Jews have a single word that embodies at least 50 divinely inspired character traits, including optimism, curiosity, forgiveness, kindness, creativity, gratitude, discipline, enthusiasm, principle, perspective, love of learning, humor, bravery, teamwork, civility, social conscience and perseverance.</div>
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There’s more. You don’t need to be a saint to be a mentsch. To be a mentsch in fact means to be fallible and imperfect, but always striving to do better. To be a mentsch means having to say you’re sorry.</div>
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So you can see why it has become my crusade to naturalize this term so that it becomes as much a part of our vernacular as other Yiddish imports, like “kvetch,” “chutzpah” and “bagel.” Our world needs mentschen, now more than ever.</div>
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My dad’s greatest legacy to Boston Jewry went beyond his magnificent voice. Just a few years before he died, his effort to find a suitable long-term home for my brother Mark, who has Fragile X syndrome, culminated in the establishment of a community residence just across the street from Kehillath Israel. His work on behalf of people like Mark brought my father into close cooperation with religious leaders like Cardinal Cushing and politicians like Senator Kennedy and Governor Dukakis, finding common ground in their shared compassion for the disabled.</div>
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For years my dad lived with a debilitating heart condition, one that he knew would likely end his life prematurely. At times, he was embittered and impatient; fearing that when he died his work would remain undone. But he also possessed that particularly Jewish ability to laugh in the face of even the darkest situations. And as result of his resilience, the house he built for my brother 45 years ago is still Mark’s home today; it’s now part of the Barry Price Center.</div>
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On April 30, I appeared at the Brookline Booksmith to talk about my new book, “Mensch•Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi.” For me it will be a return to the neighborhood that I last inhabited when I left for college – but it never stopped being home.</div>
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I’ve dedicated this book in memory of my father, on the 40th anniversary of his passing; and also to my mother, Miriam Hammerman, who died last October at age 95. Formerly a concert pianist, the ravages of Parkinson’s robbed her of her ability to make music, but never of her smile.</div>
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With my parents as inspiration, I’m hoping to help change the world, one mentsch at a time.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic;">An award-winning journalist, Brookline native Rabbi Joshua Hammerman has served Temple Beth El in Stamford, Conn. for over 30 years.</span></div>
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Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-69105581580290257492019-05-01T09:16:00.000-04:002019-05-09T15:58:38.981-04:00Radio / Podcast Interviews for Mensch-Marks<a href="http://omtimes.com/iom/2019/04/rabbi-joshua-hammerman-mensch-marks/">http://omtimes.com/iom/2019/04/rabbi-joshua-hammerman-mensch-marks/</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ConsciousRadio.OMTimes/videos/1956393074472750/UzpfSTU3OTI3OTcxNjoxMDE1NzI2NDIwMjgxOTcxNw/">https://www.facebook.com/ConsciousRadio.OMTimes/videos/1956393074472750/UzpfSTU3OTI3OTcxNjoxMDE1NzI2NDIwMjgxOTcxNw/</a><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5nMR4RmTB7g" width="560"></iframe>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zESfLVN9Yj4" width="560"></iframe>Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-71787785358428802712019-04-17T09:49:00.000-04:002019-04-17T09:49:00.632-04:00Review on Alabama Radio Station
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Book
Bit for WTBF-AM/FM in Troy, Ala. For April 16, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">WTBF FM 94.7, AM 970 and FM 96.3 of Southeast Alabama will run the attached as audio this holiday weekend – this is part of the program “On the BookShelf.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">A
book for reflection for the Festival of Passover:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">“Mensch Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi” by
Joshua Hammerman (HCI)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The author ,a rabbi of three decades, suggests that
the word “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mensch</i>” is a Yiddish word
that needs adding to the American lexicon. A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mensch </i>is someone who is righteous, decent and morally mature. It
is a journey of faith and civility. For Jews, there is no greater honor than
being called a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mensch</i>, and it’s a
really wonderful way to recognize someone who has been growing as a human
being. I think it’s a terrific idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">“Mensch Marks” represent his personal Torah scroll,
the sacred text of his experiences, the life lessons he has learned along his
winding, circuitous journey. He uses the template of 42 steps, the number that
Israel wandered in the Wilderness, and creates 42 essays organized into
categories of character (Mensch marks) as stepping stones toward spiritual
formation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This is not strictly a religious book, but like in
the Book of Esther God’s fingerprints are all over it. There are lots of very
funny incidents from his career, but they also lead us to a deeper awareness of
our own brokenness and of God’s incredible love for His people. Rabbi Joshua
Hammerman reflects on the life and career of his father, also a rabbi, who died
suddenly at age 60. His essays “cover crucial moments of failure and
forgiveness, loving and letting go, finding deeper meaning in one’s work, and
holiness in the seemingly inconsequential moments of everyday life.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the segment on “The Nobility of Normalcy”,
he writes, “Everyday holiness leads to a life of enchantment and purpose.” He
reflects on lovingly caring for his brother Mark, who is “intellectually
challenged”. He sees the gentle, subtle hand of God in the childhood wisdom of
Winnie the Pooh. Like him, I prefer a life of busyness to a life whose time is
wasted doing nothing of significance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As someone who has served as a bi-vocational
Methodist pastor for almost 30 years, I found it powerful that our experiences
have so much in common. Rabbi Joshua Hammerman’s descriptions of being humbled
by his calling, his struggles to serve his congregation while not giving his
family short-shrift, and his delight at seeing the Hand of God in nature and in
occasional moments of human interaction, touched me deeply. I could really
identify with Rabbi Joshua’s description of dashing back and forth between the
ER rooms of a congregant and of his young son, desperately trying to bring the
peace of the Almighty to both patients. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I wish we were neighbors. I’d like to think that we
would be friends. And my new goal is to be the kind of person who deserves to
be called a<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> mensch, </i>not so I could
wear it like an accolade (hey! The Christian guy wants to appropriate a Jewish
honor!) but to see it as a challenge, like being an Eagle Scout. It doesn’t
stop with achieving the rank; getting it pushes you to live in such a way that
you honor the rank by living its deepest truths. May it be truly said of each
of us, if we seek to live in peace with God and each other. May you be a
blessing to others this Passover.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-81985902849032377892019-04-17T09:13:00.000-04:002019-04-17T09:13:00.715-04:00Interview ‘These are untethered times’ Brian Koonz April 14, 2019 AP<div class="headline" data-key="card-headline" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2c2c2c;">
<h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: GoodOT-Cond, "Arial Narrow", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 3.125rem; left: -0.125rem; margin: 0px; padding-top: 2.5rem; position: relative;">
AP Interview ‘These are untethered times’</h1>
</div>
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<span class="byline" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-right: 1.375rem;">Brian Koonz</span><span class="Timestamp" data-key="timestamp" data-source="2019-04-14T05:22:24Z" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #797979;">April 14, 2019</span><div>
<br /></div>
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For 25 years, legendary baseball announcer Mel Allen was the voice of the New York Yankees. He called games with the descriptive skills of a novelist and the lyrical cadence of a storyteller.</div>
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But in the summer of 1996, when baseball was in full bloom, Allen’s iconic delivery went silent.</div>
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His funeral was held at Temple Beth El in Stamford, where Rabbi Joshua Hammerman stood in front of the congregation while the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford sat with 700 others paying their respects.</div>
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During Allen’s eulogy, Hammerman spoke of an important legacy: “Mel Allen’s life was one long, extended, exhaustive, exhilarating, triumphant prayer. It was a call to all of us to see the sublimity in the smallest things, the pitch one inch off the corner, the stolen sign, the first seasonal shifts of the wind.”</div>
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The first seasonal shifts of the wind, indeed.</div>
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Life has always been about seasons, Hammerman understands, from the birth of children and the loss of loved ones, to the moments in between that make us human — and the opportunities they extend us to be a mensch.</div>
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Mensch is a Yiddish word, one that largely resists definition. But a consensus would agree that a mensch is someone who is selfless, decent and kind, a person of character, wisdom, integrity and humility.</div>
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Someone like Mel Allen. Someone like Joshua Hammerman.</div>
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This month, Hammerman’s most memorable and inspired writings have been collected in a new book, “Mensch-Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi,” published by Health Communications, Inc. The 240-page book is available at local bookstores and through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online retailers.</div>
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“I always try to look for common themes when I write, keeping things real and down to earth,” Hammerman said in a recent telephone interview. “I like to go beyond the masks we wear and reveal who we really are, so we can help one another repair the world.”</div>
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At a time when differences have fractured a collective identity in America, Hammerman writes with a prescriptive catharsis. After more than 30 years as a rabbi — first in New York’s Hudson Valley and later in Stamford — Hammerman offers a theme of universality to his congregation and others who have read his work in the Stamford Advocate, The Washington Post and The New York Times Magazine.</div>
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Ultimately, Hammerman puts it this way, succinctly and spot on: “These are untethered times.”</div>
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The rabbi looks to shore up this sentiment with essays and sermons over six themes in his book: Work and Worship, Loving and Letting Go, The Nobility of Normalcy, Pain and Perseverance, Belonging and Becoming, and Failure, Forgiveness, Justice and Kindness.</div>
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Through his own life lessons — the victories and the failures, the celebrations and the sadness — Hammerman has written a softcover road map for today’s hard-knock world.</div>
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“I’ve tried to set an example in everything that I do,” said Hammerman, who earned a master’s degree in journalism from New York University after earning a bachelor’s degree from Brown University. “I’ve never felt like I’ve been a shepherd, but rather, a fellow traveler.</div>
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“Writing is my lifeblood. It’s always fed into my work as a rabbi. My work with people, with congregants, had fed my writing. I honestly don’t think one can exist without the other. I write constantly as a way to spread a message of love and hope.”</div>
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But this message only works if it’s shared with others in abundance. Those people who reach out to pollinate the planet with love and hope do the calling of a mensch.</div>
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“The word mensch goes so far beyond being just a good person. You know how Eskimos have 50 words for snow? It’s the same thing with mensch, but with even more words,” Hammerman said.</div>
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“Everyone talks about the lack of civility today. Given the state of our world, we need to turn the word mensch — and what it represents — into something that is not a foreign import, but rather, a word that is trending, something that is the ‘Word of the Year’ that people adopt in the English language just like bagel and chutzpah.”</div>
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Hammerman grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. His mother, Miriam, was a gifted pianist. His father, Cantor Michal Hammerman, was a renowned vocalist and the dean of New England cantors. Together, their influence shaped him profoundly in his journey to become a rabbi.</div>
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Hammerman was a first-year rabbinical student in New York when his father died of a heart attack. Today, at 62, he is slightly older than his father was on that New Year’s Day in 1979.</div>
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“There comes a point when you want to make sure your life message is heard loud and clear,” Hammerman said. “You don’t have many opportunities to get that right.”</div>
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For Hammerman, “Mensch-Marks” is one of those opportunities, the chance for one book to speak volumes — some of it even in Yiddish.</div>
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Brian Koonz is a freelance writer and former reporter, editor and columnist for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group.</div>
Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-41141331397426155722019-04-16T21:39:00.001-04:002019-04-17T09:03:02.838-04:00How to be a mensch at your Seder (or Easter Dinner). R.N.S<br />
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How to be a mensch at your seder (or Easter dinner)</h1>
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<span class="updated" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.3rem;">April 16, 2019</span></div>
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6 Min Read</div>
<a class="herald-author-name" href="https://religionnews.com/author/joshua-hammerman/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; display: inline; font-size: 1.45432rem; line-height: 1.85432rem; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">Joshua Hammerma</a><span style="font-size: 1.4rem;">n </span><a href="https://religionnews.com/2019/04/16/how-to-be-a-mensch-at-your-seder-or-easter-dinner/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://religionnews.com/2019/04/16/how-to-be-a-mensch-at-your-seder-or-easter-dinner/</span></a></div>
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Pages from several rare haggadahs. Photos courtesy of David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University</div>
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(RNS) — With Passover and Easter approaching in just a few days, a palpable sense of dread can be felt around the nation. While we love our families dearly, how can we sit at the same table as that obnoxious uncle or unbearable sibling who — fill in the blank — 1) wears a MAGA cap in lieu of a yarmulke, 2) thinks President Trump is the 11th plague, 3) thinks Rep. Ilhan Omar is the devil incarnate or 4) thinks that corruption that is “all about the Benjamins” must be referring to Prime Minister Netanyahu.</div>
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Our divisions can sometimes be emphasized at Passover seders, where Jews traditionally tell the story of the Exodus through a simple but profound liturgy called the Haggadah. With over 4,000 versions of the seder narrative available, however, it’s possible to tell the same sacred story from nearly anywhere on the ideological spectrum.</div>
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We can choose to look at the Exodus story as a universalist liberation tale, one that would make any newbie socialist proud (“Let all those who are hungry come and eat”). Or it can be a populist revenge tour for all the wrongs brought upon the Jewish people from time immemorial (“Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that did not know You”).</div>
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The key is to use the Haggadah as a springboard for civil dialogue. We need to see holidays not as a siege against sense, but one of the few chances that we have to get out from our echo chambers and actually listen to what others are saying.</div>
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As we Americans become increasingly exhausted from the constant battling, we become equally desperate for greater unity and clearer moral direction. We seek greater civility, to be sure, but a civility based on principle, not simply an avoidance of controversy. Whether this season you are looking for the promise of an Easter sunrise or the hopefulness of Elijah’s visit that comes as seder is ending, all of us are in need of a boost of optimism.</div>
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So how can one be both civil and principled (and presumably chew gum) at the same time?</div>
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Women dance during the sisterhood/zhava annual women’s seder at Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County in Bethesda, Md., on March 22, 2015. RNS photo by Sait Serkan Gurbuz</div>
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Jews, for ages, have summed up these qualities in one word: mensch.</div>
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It is said that Eskimos have 50 words for snow; Yiddish has this one word with more than 50 meanings. Mensch is typically translated into English as “good person.” This is like saying that LeBron James is a “good” basketball player. “Good” only begins to describe it.</div>
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A mensch is a human being of any gender, religion or nationality who embodies the following character traits: decency, wisdom, kindness, honesty, trustworthiness, respect, benevolence, compassion and altruism; optimism, curiosity, forgiveness, creativity, gratitude, discipline, enthusiasm, principle, perspective, love of learning, humor, bravery, teamwork, civility, social conscience and perseverance. And then some.</div>
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Also, fallibility. You don’t need to be a saint to be a mensch. To be a mensch, in fact, means to be fallible and imperfect, but always striving to do better. To be a mensch means having to say you’re sorry. It means owning failure.</div>
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It also means seeking justice but never at the expense of compassion. It means connecting: to family, to one’s people and one’s home; seeking transcendence, seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary, loving unconditionally and living with integrity and humility.</div>
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All this from one little cutesy Yiddish word, relegated previously to bar mitzvahs and Jewish funerals.</div>
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The term hasn’t yet made it to the level of acceptance of such other Yiddishisms as “chutzpah,” “kvetch,” “schlep,” “bagel” and “oy vey.” Some stylebooks still call for it to be italicized, like other loanwords from other languages. My goal is to bring mensch to full naturalization into the vernacular — for it to become a “thing.”</div>
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Because never have we needed it more.</div>
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At a family dinner, a mensch is the one who is unconditionally delighted to see everyone at the table, able to see the spark of divinity embedded beneath the crochety surface, and to love that person despite those idiosyncratic – and often incorrect – views. To be a mensch is to approach every conversation from a place of humility.</div>
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The seder plate. Photo by Robert Couse-Baker/Creative Commons</div>
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No one possesses the entire truth. Yet it is truth that we should be pursuing, and here’s where principle chimes in. We begin with civility and respect, but never yield in matters of fundamental principle, particularly regarding morality and core values.</div>
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In the pursuit of truth, the mensch knows to leave the cellphone at the door and resist responding to electronic bait. If you want to allow the dog into the dining room, so be it, but to allow our inner mensch to emerge, crate Alexa for the day, and give Siri some serious R&R.</div>
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Without the chance to replenish our Twitter talking points after each course, eventually our social media armor will fall away, and real conversation can begin.</div>
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A mensch at this holiday dinner will arrive filled with an attitude of gratitude, simply glad to reach another family celebration. Jews call these “Shehechiyanu moments,” named after the prayer recited to thank God for sustaining our lives, renewing our spirits and enabling us to mark this sacred arrival.</div>
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A Shehechiyanu moment is akin to what we used to call a Kodak moment. When we snap a photo, we are trying to freeze an instant of sublime happiness in time, so that we can retrieve it when we need to reconnect to our truest selves. The Shehechiyanu blessing, like a photo, captures those priceless moments, but also connects each moment to the bigger picture. It links all the pictures together in the album, and every album to the eternal web of life.</div>
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Once we embrace civility with principle and combine it with mutual respect and a deep appreciation for one more year of simply being together, we can allow other menschlike qualities to emerge, and together we can forge a better world.</div>
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So over the upcoming holidays, let’s all pledge to become honorable menschen.</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">(Rabbi Joshua Hammerman is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth-El in Stamford, Conn., and author of the recently published “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mensch-Marks-Lessons-Human-Rabbi_Wisdom-Untethered/dp/0757321771" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #226f91; padding-bottom: 2px; text-decoration: none; transition: border-bottom 0.15s ease-in;">Mensch-Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi</a>.” The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent those of Religion News Service.)</em></div>
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Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-29734683243019189562019-04-15T09:00:00.004-04:002019-04-15T09:03:07.208-04:005-Star Review on Amazon - “Mensch*Marks is an amazing book.”<br />
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<a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1IGG181S2XFVK/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0757321771" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066c0; text-decoration: none;" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span class="a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating" data-hook="review-star-rating" style="-webkit-background-size: 400px 900px; background-image: url("https://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/AUIClients/AmazonUIIcon@legacyImages-sprite_2x-13acd72bb22e0c502de00d0afe21c494871da686._V2_.png"); background-position: -5px -368px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 400px 900px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-style: italic; height: 18px; position: relative; vertical-align: text-top; width: 80px;"><span class="a-icon-alt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-size: inherit; height: 18px; left: auto; line-height: normal; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: auto; width: 80px;">5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span></a><span class="a-letter-space" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; width: 0.385em;"></span>The Torah of Pooh</div>
<span class="a-size-base a-color-secondary review-date" data-hook="review-date" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(85 , 85 , 85); font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">April 4, 2019</span><br />
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<span class="a-color-secondary" data-hook="format-strip-linkless" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(85 , 85 , 85);">Format: Paperback</span></div>
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<span class="a-size-base review-text" data-hook="review-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px !important; line-height: 19px !important;">First, I love books written by Rabbi's. I've never read a bad one. Their style of writing incorporates humor (sometimes very dry—without an olive), with lots of insight and wisdom. Mensch*Marks is no exception. Rabbi Joshua Hammerman had me laughing, concerned, prodded to think, and often surprised at his transparent analysis of Judaism: Mensch*Mark 40—Should Jews Turn The Other Cheek? This four page essay of "Looking Evil in the Eye," was an "eye opener" into the Jewish approach to "turning the other cheek" when disaster disrupts a community. The essay gave me pause to consider the Jewish ethos v. Christian ethos. I cannot find fault with either, but lean more toward Rabbi Hammerman's POV based on the precept of teshuvah. He explains why "turning the cheek" denies human contact: "face-to-face where true reconciliation can only occur when two human beings can truly see what is human in the other." There are other thought provoking essays you may or may not agree with, but will certainly expand your mind and possibly your heart.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />His sweetest essay, "Hugging, Blessing, Letting Go"...is about his son Dan's Bar Mitzvah and as his son's officiating rabbi and father standing with his son on the bimah, he recollects Dan from the crawling baby to his recent "cherubic voice becoming a subtle rasp" and realizes "with every embrace their must be a release." In the end, the Rabbi father realizes, "Only parents can love children enough to let them go."<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Mensch*Marks is a collection of essays spanning the thirty plus years Rabbi Hammerman has spent comforting the sick, coupling the lovers, burying the dead and between his rabbinic duties being a good husband, loving father and simply a human being. His authentic approach has opened my eyes to the rabbi's I study under and perhaps have never seen as simply another human being. He's given me greater respect for their person, for the demands of their rabbinate life and for that, I am grateful.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Mensch*Marks is an amazing book. Each chapter preceded with an explanation of the essay and each part preceded with a quote from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, each one right-on for the content.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />The underlying theme of Mensch*Marks is becoming a good mensch (a person of character) something Hammerman's father instilled in his son. This collection of essay's portray’s Rabbi Hammerman's journey on the menschlichkeit path. He writes, "Today, I have started the process toward becoming a mensch." I'd say he's made his mark.</span></div>
Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-3717235283358332122019-04-14T08:16:00.002-04:002019-04-15T12:38:12.713-04:00Books: Rabbi Hammerman has a road map for today’s hard-knock world - CT Hearst Newspapers, including Stamford Advocate<br />
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By <a href="https://www.ctpost.com/author/brian-koonz/" style="color: #980000; display: inline; font-family: RobotoBold, Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">Brian Koonz</a> <a href="https://www.ctpost.com/living/article/Books-Rabbi-Hammerman-has-a-road-map-for-13759972.php">https://www.ctpost.com/living/article/Books-Rabbi-Hammerman-has-a-road-map-for-13759972.php</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif;"></span><span class="timestamp" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin: 10px 0px 0px;">Updated <time datetime="2019-04-14T04:00:56Z" itemprop="datePublished">12:00 am EDT, Sunday, April 14, 2019</time></span></div>
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For 25 years, legendary baseball announcer Mel Allen was the voice of the New York Yankees. He called games with the descriptive skills of a novelist and the lyrical cadence of a storyteller.</div>
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But in the summer of 1996, when baseball was in full bloom, Allen’s iconic delivery went silent.</div>
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His funeral was held at Temple Beth El in Stamford, where Rabbi Joshua Hammerman stood in front of the congregation while the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford sat with 700 others paying their respects.</div>
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During Allen’s eulogy, Hammerman spoke of an important legacy: “Mel Allen’s life was one long, extended, exhaustive, exhilarating, triumphant prayer. It was a call to all of us to see the sublimity in the smallest things, the pitch one inch off the corner, the stolen sign, the first seasonal shifts of the wind.”</div>
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The first seasonal shifts of the wind, indeed.</div>
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Life has always been about seasons, Hammerman understands, from the birth of children and the loss of loved ones, to the moments in between that make us human — and the opportunities they extend us to be a menschMensch is a Yiddish word, one that largely resists definition. But a consensus would agree that a mensch is someone who is selfless, decent and kind, a person of character, wisdom, integrity and humility.</div>
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Someone like Mel Allen. Someone like Joshua Hammerman.</div>
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This month, Hammerman’s most memorable and inspired writings have been collected in a new book, “Mensch-Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi,” published by Health Communications, Inc. The 240-page book is available at local bookstores and through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online retailers.</div>
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“I always try to look for common themes when I write, keeping things real and down to earth,” Hammerman said in a recent telephone interview. “I like to go beyond the masks we wear and reveal who we really are, so we can help one another repair the world.”</div>
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At a time when differences have fractured a collective identity in America, Hammerman writes with a prescriptive catharsis. After more than 30 years as a rabbi — first in New York’s Hudson Valley and later in Stamford — Hammerman offers a theme of universality to his congregation and others who have read his work in the Stamford Advocate, The Washington Post and The New York Times Magazine.</div>
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Ultimately, Hammerman puts it this way, succinctly and spot on: “These are untethered times.”</div>
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The rabbi looks to shore up this sentiment with essays and sermons over six themes in his book: Work and Worship, Loving and Letting Go, The Nobility of Normalcy, Pain and Perseverance, Belonging and Becoming, and Failure, Forgiveness, Justice and Kindness.</div>
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Through his own life lessons — the victories and the failures, the celebrations and the sadness — Hammerman has written a softcover road map for today’s hard-knock world.</div>
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“I’ve tried to set an example in everything that I do,” said Hammerman, who earned a master’s degree in journalism from New York University after earning a bachelor’s degree from Brown University. “I’ve never felt like I’ve been a shepherd, but rather, a fellow traveler.</div>
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“Writing is my lifeblood. It’s always fed into my work as a rabbi. My work with people, with congregants, had fed my writing. I honestly don’t think one can exist without the other. I write constantly as a way to spread a message of love and hope.”</div>
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But this message only works if it’s shared with others in abundance. Those people who reach out to pollinate the planet with love and hope do the calling of a mensch.</div>
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“The word mensch goes so far beyond being just a good person. You know how Eskimos have 50 words for snow? It’s the same thing with mensch, but with even more words,” Hammerman said.</div>
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“Everyone talks about the lack of civility today. Given the state of our world, we need to turn the word mensch — and what it represents — into something that is not a foreign import, but rather, a word that is trending, something that is the ‘Word of the Year’ that people adopt in the English language just like bagel and chutzpah.”</div>
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Hammerman grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. His mother, Miriam, was a gifted pianist. His father, Cantor Michal Hammerman, was a renowned vocalist and the dean of New England cantors. Together, their influence shaped him profoundly in his journey to become a rabbi.</div>
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Hammerman was a first-year rabbinical student in New York when his father died of a heart attack. Today, at 62, he is slightly older than his father was on that New Year’s Day in 1979.</div>
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“There comes a point when you want to make sure your life message is heard loud and clear,” Hammerman said. “You don’t have many opportunities to get that right.”</div>
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For Hammerman, “Mensch-Marks” is one of those opportunities, the chance for one book to speak volumes — some of it even in Yiddish.</div>
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Brian Koonz is a freelance writer and former reporter, editor and columnist for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group.</div>
Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-11583391269858672492019-04-09T12:20:00.001-04:002019-04-09T12:20:30.124-04:00In a Dehumanizing World, Simply Being Human is Heroic - Review in Book Trib
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<a href="https://booktrib.com/2019/04/a-rabbis-life-lessons-in-search-of-integrity-and-decency/">https://booktrib.com/2019/04/a-rabbis-life-lessons-in-search-of-integrity-and-decency/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What word would best
describe today’s hero? Brave? Bold? Gallant? Daring? Gutsy? Superhuman?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How about <i>mensch</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“In a world as dehumanizing
as ours has become, simply being a kind, honest and loving person, a man or
woman of integrity, has become a measure of heroism – and at a time when norms
of civility are being routinely quashed, it may be the only measure that
matters.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So writes Rabbi Joshua
Hammerman in his new book, <a href="https://amzn.to/2CRA6IX"><i>Mensch-Marks</i></a>(<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HCIBooksPublisher/">HCI Books</a>), subtitled
“Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi” and “Wisdom for Untethered Times.” <i>Mensch</i>,
of course, refers to the Jewish word for a fully realized, morally evolved
human being, or person of character.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“When everything has become
unhinged around you, just persevere with the singular focus of being the best
human being you can be and everything else will follow from that,” writes
Hammerman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The journey to moral
maturity, says Hammerman, is no less heroic than what we think of when
conjuring up the traditional image of a hero — although Hammerman points out
for the <i>mensch</i> the journey is “perhaps a little less dramatic
and a lot less bloody.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mensch-Marks</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is the sacred text of Hammerman’s
experiences, the life lessons he has learned along his winding, circuitous
journey. He offers 42 brief essays organized into six categories of character
as stepping stones toward spiritual maturation: Work and Worship; Loving and
Letting Go; The Nobility of Normalcy; Pain and Perseverance; Belonging and
Becoming; and Failure, Forgiveness, Justice and Kindness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While there are many
takeaways, Hammerman is not at all preachy in his style; rather he captivates
and entertains the reader in telling about many of his own personal
experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And those experiences are
wide-ranging:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="square">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During a eulogy, revealing, at the deceased’s
request, to the family that he was gay.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bouncing back and forth at a hospital emergency ward
between his own son and a dear member of his congregation.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Writing an article questioning the messianic faith
espoused by former football player Tim Tebow.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The simplicity of a waitress refilling his cup
without being asked.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hearing people ask “What has God done for me
lately?”<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Going from the “me” generation to the “we”
generation.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">His vantage point is more
multilayered than most and, as a rabbi, gives him greater influence and
responsibility as a mentor and guide to a congregation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Seeking kindness in an
increasingly cruel landscape, or, at a time of unprecedented mobility, yearning
for a sense of rootedness – well, rabbis have a two-millennium head start in
dealing with all of these,” Hammerman recently said in an <a href="http://3x3dbo1djaqgvuqtxdqbemuozubphryyuab8f9dfw7lb8oa725dbmqcea/">article
in the <i>Christian Science Monitor</i></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The journey to being a<i> mensch</i> is
just that, a journey – a lifelong journey of striving to do better and be
human. One is not born a <i>mensch</i>, and it is “unseemly,” says
Hammerman, to call yourself one. Yet for Jews, he says, there is no greater
honor than for someone else to call you one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I often use the expression
when eulogizing someone,” he writes, “but I have never said, ‘she was a
billionaire’ or ‘he wrote a dozen bestsellers.’ There is something about <i>mensch</i> that
transcends professional success. Our jobs do not define us; neither do our
homes, cars and stock portfolios.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hammerman refers to a
Jewish prayer known as the <i>Alenu,</i> which speaks of “a future
time when all humanity will be united under a single standard of morality and
goodness, enhancing the prospects of harmony and peace. It doesn’t promise that
we’ll get there soon but asserts that it is our responsibility to make progress
toward that end.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The author notes that in
German, the term<i> mensch</i> refers specifically to males, but the
designation in the Jewish sense is hardly gender-specific. He recounts the
amusing anecdote of searching Amazon for Hanukkah gifts and coming across a mug
with a picture of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, under which was the word, <i>Mensch</i>.
As Hammerman says, she is “the quintessential wo-<i>mensch</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“If by sharing what I’ve
learned,” he says, “I can bring just a bit more decency into the world that has
lost its moral moorings, a modicum of generosity, honesty, and human connection
in a world overflowing with cruelty, loneliness and deceit, then I’ll have made
it to my personal Promised Land.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://amzn.to/2CRA6IX"><i>Mensch-Marks</i></a> is now available
for purchase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-185278229789538052019-04-09T11:05:00.001-04:002019-05-01T09:19:01.928-04:00Brookline Booksmith Event<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-9013337722672443602019-04-09T11:03:00.001-04:002019-04-09T11:03:57.920-04:00Review from Minneapolis Jewish Newspaper<h4 style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Friday, April 5th, 2019...4:24 pm</h4>
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Be a mensch</h2>
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<span style="color: #003366; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Mensch Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, by Joshua Hammerman, Health Communications, paperback, 240 pages, $14.95</em></span></h3>
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Reviewed by NEAL GENDLER</div>
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Joshua Hammerman wants to amplify the importance of being a mensch in a world with a surplus of discord.</div>
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The flat-rocks illustration on the cover of <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Mensch Marks </em>shows the idea behind the 42 essays inside: stepping stones to <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">menschlichkeit</em>, which for those bereft of Yiddish or German could be rendered as “menschiness.”</div>
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“One isn’t born a <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">mensch</em>, nor is it a status that one ever completely achieves; for to boast that you are a <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">mensch</em> is, by definition, not to possess the requisite humility to be one,” says Hammerman, rabbi of Conservative, egalitarian Temple Beth El, Stamford, Conn.</div>
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“In a world as dehumanizing as ours has become, simply being a kind, honest and loving person, a man or woman of integrity, has become a measure of heroism,” he says.</div>
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The word “love” recurs throughout, and pieces have titles such as “Rising Above the Hate,” “Shedding the Baggage,” “Fathers and Sons,” “The Invisible Fence,” “Numb and Numb-er” and “My Brother’s Keeper,” in which he discusses having a disabled brother, implicitly urging us to see the person inside the disabled.</div>
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“Hugging, Blessing, Letting Go” points out how parental pride in children becoming adults is coupled with diminishing ability to protect them. The Bar Mitzva of his son Dan was emotionally difficult. “Only part of me survived this ordeal,” he says, “the part that has learned how to hug with one arm and let go with the other.”<span id="more-30311" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span></div>
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There’s a lovely essay on appreciating the beauty of nature and the limits of our human power.</div>
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Most of the 42 steps expand on behaviors taught by good parents, but Hammerman — 2008 winner of the Rockower Award for excellence in Jewish journalism and the 2018 Religion News Association award for commentary — is a clever writer with some humanizing self-deprecation and delightful turns of phrase.</div>
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In “Shedding the Baggage,” he tells of going to an outlet mall “to buy the exact same khaki pants I purchased a few years before — only one size larger.” Hating waste, he keeps the old pants, “just in case,” but adds: “The Messiah will undoubtedly come before I again fit into them.”</div>
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Hammerman avoids self-congratulation despite a close brush in his introduction: “I’ve devoted my life to trying to become a more fully realized, morally evolved human being, a person of character.</div>
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“Jews have a word for that: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">mensch</em>. … For Jews, there is no greater honor than for another person to call you one.”</div>
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There’s little here with which to disagree; everyone can benefit from more <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">menschlichkeit</em>, both as givers and receivers. But I don’t understand why he thinks American Jews should vote in Israeli elections. Citizens vote.</div>
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Particularly welcome is Hammerman’s admonition that “Jewish ritual is vacuous if it does not lead to ethical ends.”</div>
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“Superrabbi, the flawed model” is subtitled: “Taking myself off the pedestal.” In a time of “widespread sexual, financial and power abuses by clergy, it never has been more important to stop deifying them,” he says. His model for himself is “as a co-traveler, a very well-educated member of the flock,” sharing his experiences and learning from theirs.</div>
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His longest piece tells how an essay speculating on the disorderly result of the 2011 Super Bowl victory led by the hugely admired Tim Tebow brought national notoriety, with accusations of insulting evangelicals. Included is his 2012 Yom Kippur sermon about his error, how everyone makes errors or feels failure, and how even God forgives.</div>
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Forty of Hammerman’s mensch marks appeared earlier, mostly in New York’s big newspaper The Jewish Week. For some, he has written introductions or added material. He explains the title’s dot, which appears throughout.</div>
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A.A. Milne quotes are sprinkled in “to act as a unifying thread, a reminder that boring can be beautiful.”</div>
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His publisher doesn’t expect a bored reception: A first printing of 15,000 is much greater than for most nonfiction books.</div>
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In one place, Hammerman criticizes a modern biblical translation for taking away its flavor, but I think he does the same by using a de-gendered version of the Hillel quote: “In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.”</div>
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“In a world that lacks humanity, be a human” is close, but not quite the same. Even Hammerman, hospitalized with kidney stones, tells himself: “Man up!” Good or bad, people are humans. Hillel is describing behavior — <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">menschlichkeit</em> equally available to women, who perhaps more often are its practitioners.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">***</strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Neal Gendler is a Minneapolis writer and editor.</strong></div>
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<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(American Jewish World, April 2019)</em></div>
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Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-13882142810662129162019-04-06T19:51:00.002-04:002019-04-06T19:51:49.713-04:00Mensch-Marks Ad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Joshua Hammermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212338296000469708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960096693241044425.post-17460370271954989232019-04-05T13:01:00.000-04:002019-04-05T19:11:54.112-04:00Interview on JBS, Parts One and Two<div style="text-align: center;">
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