{"id":359,"date":"2021-02-17T03:03:14","date_gmt":"2021-02-17T03:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.takemeon.org\/dir\/?p=359"},"modified":"2023-08-12T01:46:35","modified_gmt":"2023-08-12T01:46:35","slug":"a-quick-thought-about-island-jews-of-hawaii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.takemeon.org\/dir\/2021\/02\/17\/a-quick-thought-about-island-jews-of-hawaii\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quick Thought About Island Jews Of Hawaii"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Aloha v\u2019shalom (love and peace)! I have a story to share about island Jews. Or as we would say in our island creole: Like talk stori with u bout da hana butta dayz! Can o wot?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Island<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the hana butta dayz (the days of youth, childhood), ka\u2019u kumu (chachami, my rabbi) was fond of saying, \u201d \u05d4\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d0 \u05de\u05e9\u05ea\u05e2\u05dc\u05ea (ha\u2019torah lo mishta\u2019\u00e8let, the Torah does not cough, folks)!\u201d As part of his mantric a\u02bbo (his dvar, teaching), he would also add to this, \u201cEvery word is in there for a reason.\u201d And, by added implication, he meant every scribal mistake or error of omission within Torah, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ours was a \u201cConservadox\u201d hale heiau (a Traditional esnoga, synagogue), long before there was ever such a word for this kind of Jewish community. But, we were more than this as a community, too. What was special about our hale heiau, was our mana\u02bbo (our kavanah, thoughtful intention) to include every community member in the experience of wala\u02bbau (schmoosen, chatting) our way into non-pressured community Jewish education. Anyone who walked through the doors experienced Jewish ancestral ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, for our hale (our kahal, community, lit. our \u201chouse\u201d), every member regardless of age girsa d\u2019yankuta (imbibed knowledge as if mother\u2019s milk). It was the \u2018uhane (the nashamah, breath, essense) of our w\u0101 (our \u05e2\u05b5\u05ea \u00e8t, period of time). The way we island Jews holoholo (tiy\u00e0lnu, strolled) upon the \u2018\u0101ina (ha\u2019\u00e8retz, the land). And it showed most evidently in our manawale\u02bba (our tzedakah, generous heart, our justice).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though ia w\u0101 (at the time) pua\u02bba (khazir, pork) is kapu (asur, forbidden), as it is still today, for our l\u0101hui (am\/le\u2019om, our people, nation), the poi (boiled taro root) is a p\u014dmaika\u02bbi (a bracha, blessing) for our kino (nefesh, our body-mind). Much like the salty fresh ane (ruach, breeze) that enlivens our koko (our dam, blood) \u2013 renewing our mauli ola (our nishmat chay\u00ecm, power of healing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, if you sneeze, \u201ckihe a mauli ola (labriut, sneeze and live)!\u201d For, at this au (zman, time), I wish to bring us, now, back to our island Jewish h\u0101lau (our yeshiva\/shul, school of learning) where a kumu (a rabbi, teacher) reaches our m\u0101no (our lev, heart) with inspiring \u2018\u014dlelo (m\u00e8lel, words) \u2013 not on what we should believe, but on why we should be inspired to learn!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aloha, a hana hou k\u0101kou i k\u0113ia!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u05d9\u05d5\u05e1\u05e3 \u05e4\u05e8\u05e7\u05e9\u05d3\u05d9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reb Sean, you have no idea how well you seeded a joyous and all-encompassing Judaism within me. The example you set, by being authentically you as a Rabbi, has inspired me and has grounded me within our people. \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05db\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3 kol ha\u2019kavod!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reprinted from our online Kahal website, original post date February 5, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Update Aug 8, 2023: \u201cAs an Islander Jew who is Indigenous to the land of Israel and is also kama\u2019\u0101ina (a land child) to the land of kanaka Hawaii, I am touched deeply by this joining of the house of M\u0101ori with the house of Israel \u2013 the sharing of trees, a sacred act to plant the land, for a future of prosperity and peace among our Indigenous nations!\u201d \u2013 Yosef ibn Yehuda<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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