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Jewish Community News

News: February 2006

A new rabbi in town: Rabbi Aaron Shushan

By Daniel Feldman, M.A.

Rabbi Aaron Shushan is the new spiritual guide of the Am Echad community in San Jose. He studied at the Chevroni Beis Midrash in Jerusalem before coming to California in 2001 to serve as teacher and rebbe at Eitz Chayim Academy. Rabbi Shushan became the rebbe of Am Echad in June.

JCN: You came from Jerusalem and New York where you were surrounded by other observant Jews, where it was easy to get kosher food. What has the transition been like for you and your wife?
RS: “Well, first off, regardless of where we have lived, my favorite restaurant has always been my wife’s kitchen. The weather here is wonderful, and the scenery in the mountains and along the coast is just extraordinary. With cell phones and the Internet, it has been easy for me to stay connected with my friends and colleagues all over the world. What I have felt is that God has given me a great opportunity and great challenges.”

JCN: What can we do to build bridges among Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Jews?
RS: “I don’t like those labels. Labels divide us and create walls between us. As long as we keep Jewish values, traditions, and spiritual views, all Jews have a great deal in common. We need to have the framework to stand together. In this way we are able to communicate better with each other and to non-Jews as well. There are many outside forces tearing away at Jewish identity. To survive, we must find a way to work together so that our future generations will still be connected to Judaism.

JCN: What are the most important things that Jews of all types share in common?
RS: “What all Jews have in common is the ‘Shema.’ We all sanctify God’s name. We all proclaim the unity of the Divine. In all our shuls, we come together in community to connect to our common source. Almost all Jews still circumcise their sons, even if they keep no other rituals. For every Jew, the heart is the true repository of the treasures of Jewish tradition and spiritual life. If we are to continue to exist as Jews, each of us must become a “walking temple,” and we must speak to the world with the language of our hearts. That reminds me of a story of the Chofeitz Chayim. The Chofeitz Chayim was a famous rabbi who was passionate about living. His focus was guarding one’s tongue, doing good, and staying away from evil.”
“One day, the gentile who controlled the Chofetz Chayim’s shtetl proclaimed some new rules forbidding Jews to engage in their observances. The Chofitz Chayyim went before the City Council and made an impassioned speech, asking for a reversal of the decree. At the end of the speech, another Jew offered to translate it into Polish since the Chofetz Chayim had spoken in Yiddish. The council conferred, and the mayor told the second Jew that a translation was really not necessary. The Council had concluded that Chofitz Chayyim had spoken from his heart, and that even though they had not understood the exact words, they did understand what his heart was saying. They ruled in favor of the Jews, and lifted the restrictions.” We need to strive to speak that way, from our hearts.

JCN: Many Jews, especially from the boomer generation, went away from Judaism as their primary spiritual vehicle to explore other traditions. In particular, many are engaging in some form of meditation practice. What is your message to them?
RS: “I appreciate that they are responding to an inner spiritual need and thirst. This is good. I want them to know that they can fulfill that need and quench that thirst in the spiritual tradition of their parents and grandparents. Judaism has ways to meditate as well as ways to pray. Prayer and meditation go hand in hand. Judaism gives us the original framework for living a Jewish life. It gives us some daily practices that connect us to one another, and to our Universal Source. It gives us a discipline of what to do and what to avoid, in order to cultivate tzedakah – righteousness. I also believe that, as one’s spiritual perception expands, one’s level of observance will naturally grow.”

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