Community Magazine February 2014

LETTERS RABBI RAFAEL BERDUGO After reading last month’s cover story, one cannot come away with anything but the utmost respect and admiration of Rabbi Rafael Berdugo. What an example of a kiddush Hashem . Besides the physical risks involved in the military, a Jew is confronted with tremendous amounts of spiritual dangers on a daily basis. I’m pretty sure that all would agree that any Jew, no matter what level of religiosity, is quite vulnerable when confined to a foreign and hostile environment without adequate spiritual guidance. What Rabbi Berdugo provides to our Jewish soldiers is extraordinary. It takes a special person who truly loves people and sincerely believes in Hashem to accomplish what he does during a time of war. In the eyes of the soldiers, Jews and non-Jews alike, he must look like an angel sent from heaven – as he risks his life in order to offer our servicemen guidance, support, leadership, and morale. It is truly inspiring to know that there are still role models out there in today’s world, and that is exactly what Rabbi Berdugo is – a role model. Kids today are looking for role models and heroic figures to look up to. This is amanwho helps his comrades- at-arms both physically and spiritually and has the conviction to strengthen the faith and religious observance of our Jewish soldiers. In my book – this is what you would call a real “hero.” Scott D. RABBI EZRA LABATON, ZT”L The article in last month’s issue regarding the passing of Rabbi Ezra Labaton , zt”l , was right on the mark. Having had the pleasure of knowing the rabbi for many years, I would say that two of his greatest attributes were his kind and gentle nature and the kavod [respect] he gave others. He always had a genuinely warm smile along with a pleasant word to share. He was a very humble and sensitive man who treated every person with the utmost respect and care. Rabbi Labaton will be sorely missed by me, my family, and his entire congregation. Jack A. THE SECRET OF DREAMS I was taken aback by the article that appeared in the January issue, “The Secret of Dreams.” I am not sure if this was meant to incite your readers or to cause a debate – but I think you need to inform your readers that dreams can NEVER tell the future. You probably will not bother printing my response since it totally refutes your article, but I’m hoping the editor will at least read my letter. Dreams just vividly express your emotions or actions. Even if you do experience events in real life that you saw in your dreams, it is not a proof that your dreams showed you the future. Dreams only express emotions and tell you what might possibly happen! Dreams are simple synapses in your brain firing off all sorts of things. Your brain gathers all this random information, sights, sounds and so forth. And as you are sleeping, these sights and, essentially, memories are jumbled up into one big mess, just random nonsense, and your brain works and works for an hour or so trying to create a nice little story with all of these sights and sounds because it wants to make sense of it. It wants to make sense out of nonsense! So, then you end up with this dream. This happens several times in one night, but when you wake up, you forget all of them, and when you do remember one of them, we try to make sense of it. We tell ourselves, “What is this? What could it mean?” But in reality, it means nothing, it is just complete nonsense. So stop trying to make sense of it, it is nothing! Sally M. DESTINATION WEDDINGS I’m having a hard time understanding the rationale behind destination weddings [the subject of an article in the January issue]. I do not consider myself old-fashioned or ultra-religious, but I just can’t understand how a Jewish couple can even think about getting married in a foreign country without their entire family and friends in attendance. Traditionally, a Jewish wedding is not a personal affair that involves only the bride and groom, but rather a communal affair. The point is that when a Jewish bride and groom marry, it is a celebration for all as it is the beginning of a new lifeline. I believe there is even a commandment to bring joy to the bride and groom. That is why guests traditionally go to great lengths to entertain the couple and make the affair a lively one filled with happiness and celebration. After all, the new couple will have the rest of their lives to celebrate in a more private setting. I think destination weddings are simply selfish. Arlene B. Shevat5774 January 2014 VolumeXIIINo.4 AnOrthodoxSephardicRabbi and former teacher atYeshivaofFlatbush, tellsofhis experienceswhile serving asCaptain andMilitaryChaplain in theU.S.AirForce. the wartime memoirs of COMMUNITY RABBI RAfAEL BERDUGO WhatWouldYouChoose? The Fastest Jet,aMagicalScreen, oraSpecialApple? RabbiEli J.Mansour TheSecret ofDreams RabbiZamirCohen RevelationsofAncientEgyptian Culture in theTorah Rabbi LeibelReznick Special Wedding Planning Features TELL US WHAT YOU REALLY THINK! WRITE US A LETTER MOBILE: Scan the Quick Response (QR) code here with your tablet, smart phone or other mobile device. EMAIL: letters@Community M .com WEB: www. Community M .com FAX: 718-504-4246 POST: Community Magazine 1616 Ocean Pkwy Brooklyn, NY 11223 Letters submitted become the property of Community Magazine and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Letters may be edited and revised for length, style and grammar before publication. All submissions are considered for publication unless otherwise requested. Preferential consideration is given to brief comments and insights that relate directly to published content. Anonymous letters are generally not reviewed or considered for publication. 12 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE