A Fly Fishing Pilgrimage

Roscoe, New York calls itself “Trout Town USA.” Probably the most famous fly fishing river east of the Mississippi, the Beaverkill begins at Junction Pool, where hundreds of fishermen and women test their skills each spring. Roscoe is the center of fly fishing in the Catskills. For over 100 years, the Beaverkill, Willowemec, Delaware and other streams have attracted the preeminent fly fishers in America including Theodore Gordon, Art Flick and Joan and Lee Wulff. The Catskills soon became known as the birthplace of American Fly Fishing.

A journey to the Beaverkill River is like a pilgrimage, a long journey to a sacred place. Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lives. Christians travel to Rome to visit the Vatican and hear the Pope speak. In ancient times, Jews used to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem three times a year to offer sacrifices to God. Today, a trip to Israel remains a sacred pilgrimage for Jews, a way to connect to the past and the Bible. While I would not put Roscoe New York on the same spiritual plane as the Temple in Jerusalem, for many fly fishers the Beaverkill River is a sacred site, a place like no other in America to cast a fly.

In October 2001, I journeyed to Roscoe on a trip that felt much like a pilgrimage. It was only a few weeks after 9/11. From my apartment in Brooklyn, I could still smell the smoke coming from the remains of the twin towers. New York City felt like a war zone, and I needed some time away, a safe place in a world that felt upside-down.

After a two hour car trip, I arrived at Roscoe New York, population 597. Every pilgrimage has rituals, and a trip to Roscoe is no different. I ate at the Roscoe Diner, I visited Catskill Flies to get some gear and good advice, and I checked into the Reynolds House, a nice B&B right in town. Finally, it was time to go fishing.

As I had been looking forward to fly fishing the Beaverkill for a long time, I could not help imagining what would happen when I finally cast my line. I dreamt of a beautiful river, filled with large rising trout. On a perfect fall day, I would be the only person around for miles, and I would catch and release fish after fish for hours. Needless to say, my dreams for this fly fishing pilgrimage were a bit unrealistic. Junction Pool was too crowded, the Beaverkill River was low that year, and I got skunked for two days, not catching a single trout. I realized that while the pools of the Beaverkill might be famous, for me that day they were also fishless.

Picture: The Beaverkill River

On my second day of fly fishing, when the streams would not yield a bite, I decided to abandon my fly rod and go for a hike. I climbed to the top of one of the hills which was very steep, and I looked around. Trees covered the Catskill Mountains in all directions, the leaves were turning brilliant yellows and oranges. I had never witnessed such a beautiful fall scene in my life. As I stood on top of the hill, I realized that I had completed my pilgrimage. The sacred site that I was looking for was not Junction Pool or the Beaverkill River. It was on top of that mountain, where I felt in awe of the beauty of nature.

Picture: On top of a Catskill Mountain in October 2001

Many religions consider high places to be holy. Mt Fuji in Japan is worshipped. The Temple in Jerusalem was located on a hill, the highest point in the ancient city. In the modern Jewish synagogue, the Rabbi and Cantor sit on a bimah¸ a raised platform, above the pews of the congregation. When we arrive at a place that is high above ground, we feel less caught up in the everyday, and we can see a new perspective on our lives.

Being on top of that hill in the Catskills reminded me of another pilgrimage that I once took, to Mt. Sinai in Egypt. In the Bible, Moses went up Mt. Sinai to speak to God and to receive the 10 Commandments. Moses was up there for 40 days and 40 nights, and he needed no food or water.

My wife and I arrived at St. Catherine’s Monastery on the foot of Mt. Sinai in the early evening. The monastery was built in the 6th Century upon the supposed spot of the Burning Bush, where God first spoke to Moses. The fortress-like building contained many ancient artifacts and a skull room, but it was closed for the night.

The fastest way to get up to the top of Mt. Sinai is by camel. We were helped up on the saddles of the tall brown beasts. Soon we were working our way up the mountain on a narrow path. It quickly became dark. For some reason, the camels liked to walk right near the edge of the path, overlooking the depths below, so that the entire trip I had a great view of how far I would fall if the camel tripped. After what felt like an eternity, we arrived at a small shack, where an Egyptian man was smoking comfortably and a few other tourists were huddled in the corners. It was 2 a.m. by now, and we were freezing on top of the mountain, with the winds blowing through the open walls of the shelter without mercy. We crawled under a blanket and half-slept, shivering and praying that the night would soon end.

We awoke to see a sunrise that was beyond description. I forgot all about the trails of the night before. The light illuminated rounded peaks in all directions. Standing on this mountain, I understood how Moses could feel the presence of God in such a place. I wanted the walk down Mt. Sinai to last forever, as I stared at the mountains and the occasional goat searching for something to eat.

Pictures: Mt. Sinai at sunrise. Look for the mountain goat in the third picture!

A pilgrimage is about taking the time to escape the everyday, about traveling to a place that is far from the ordinary. This type of journey can be a search for safety in a post 9/11 world, a return to nature and simplicity when human society seems so distorted and difficult. A pilgrimage is also about connecting to the past. I may not have caught a fish in Roscoe, but knowing that I was fishing the same rivers as Theodore Gordon and other greats made me feel grounded and authentic.

Perhaps the ultimate goal of a pilgrimage is enlightenment, the gaining of wisdom and knowledge like Moses on Mt. Sinai. Standing on top of a hill in Roscoe in the fall and shivering in that shack on Mt. Sinai, I did not directly hear the voice of God. But the beauty of my surroundings helped me to look beyond my own life, and to contemplate the Divine, and that made these two journeys well worthwhile.

Fish that Can Walk and Evolution

Apparently, 375 million years ago, fish could walk. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, scientists found a fossil of a creature that had the scales, gills and fins of a fish, but also had ribs and the primitive limbs of land creatures. One of the paleontologists, Neil Shubin, said: “What we found was clearly a fish, but it had a long flat head with its eyes on top like a crocodile, a shoulder, an elbow and a wrist.” This fish spent most of its time swimming, but also climbed out of the water and hunted on land.

Picture: Fossilized remains of Tiktaalik rosae, the fish that could walk, and a model of the fish. From the San Francisco Chronicle and the University of Chicago.

The discovery of the fish that could walk is being hailed as an important evolutionary link between fish and land creatures. The walking fish was an early ancestor of reptiles, dinosaurs and mammals, including human beings. Science can now prove that we all descended from fish. Perhaps that is why I enjoy spending so much time fly fishing; the trout are my very very distant cousins.

One scientist, Jenny Clark of Cambridge University, offered an interesting response to this great discovery: “This is another gap closed that a deity no longer needs to fill.” Clark describes the conflict that can exist between religion and science, between those who believe in evolution and those who read the Bible as the literal word of God. For some people, God played no role in the development of life on earth. Over millions of years, the laws of nature and evolution led single-celled organisms to develop into fish, land creatures and eventually human beings. In this view, nature does not require any divine intervention, and God need not fill any gaps in our understanding of the origins of life.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, creationists believe that God created the entire universe exactly as described in the Bible. Genesis chapter one describes how God made everything in the world by the power of speech: “God said: ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” In Genesis, there is no mention of any ideas that suggest evolution. There are no walking fish in the Bible either, although there are sea monsters. On day five, God created the fish and the taninim, the great sea monsters, which were perhaps whales.

The fish that could walk is not the only fish that symbolizes the conflict between evolution and religion. Some people put an ichthys, or “Jesus fish” on the bumper of their cars as a sign of their belief in Christianity. In response, others have chosen to modify the “car fish” to represent their support of evolution. Some versions add the word “evolution” or “Darwin” within the symbol. There are even "Darwin fish" with feet, which we now know is scientifically accurate thanks to the fish that could walk. I respect the “Jesus fish” symbol and do not agree with making fun of the beliefs of others. However, the many versions of the “car fish” illustrate the continued debate between science and religion.

Pictures: "Jesus fish" and the "Darwin" fish with feet. Courtsey of wikipedia.org.





How does one navigate the conflict between evolution and creationism? I believe in evolution and that humans came about by the rules of natural selection and survival of the fittest. I also believe that the Bible has lessons to teach us about our origins. Both perspectives, the scientific and the religious, have value; they simply address different questions. Science answers the “how” and “where” questions quite well: Where did humans come from? We evolved from earlier life forms. How are we related to other animals? We all come from the same source, the single celled organisms of millions of years ago.

However, science falls short in responding to the “why questions”: Why are we here? Why are we conscience beings, with the self-awareness that separates us from animals? Genesis provides us with religious answers. The Bible says that there is a God who cares about this world and created it as an act of kindness and love. After six days of creation, God surveyed the world and found it to be very good. Despite all of the evil and struggle that we must all face, our world is an inherently good place, where we can find blessing and hope.

In light of evolution and science, perhaps we cannot read the Bible literally. The world was not created in only six days, and God did not make all creatures from nothing, rather they evolved. However, there are ways of reconciling evolution and Genesis. God can still play a role in the creation of the world. Science tells us that nature follows rules, like gravity, so that a ball will always fall back to the earth when you drop it. But where did gravity come from? How is it that nature is so perfectly designed that our earth can exist, and that we could evolve from a walking fish? How were the rules created in the first place that allowed our world to function?

One metaphor for the origins of the universe compares God to a clock-maker. God would up the clock, and then let it go. Since then, our universe, like a clock, has run on its own, according to the laws of nature. Perhaps God’s role was in creating the rules and the system in the first place, whereby an amazing earth and human beings could evolve and question their own origins.

Jenny Clark was right when she said that the discovery of a walking fish was another gap closed that a diety no longer needs to fill. However, there will always be some questions that science cannot answer, some mysteries that cannot be solved. Evolution will probably draw a straight line from the formation of the earth 4.5 billion years ago to us humans. However, evolution will not be able to explain why the world is so perfectly designed or why we feel such awe in the beauty of nature. The next time I go fly fishing, I may remember that the trout and I have a common ancestor, a walking fish. But as I stand in the stream, and cast my line surrounded by the peace of nature, I will probably be more apt to recall what God said about our world: it was very good.

To read the article from the San Francisco Chronicle about the walking fish: CLICK HERE

DNA, Genetic Testing and Who is a Jew?

Did you ever wonder if you are related to Abraham, the first Jew? The science of DNA and genetic testing may soon provide an answer. A recent article in Reform Judaism magazine discusses Jon Entine's new book: Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity, and the DNA of the Chosen People. Entine assembled the genetic research and he shows that the majority of Jews throughout the world share common DNA. We can now trace our genes back to the Middle East 4,000 years ago to Abraham, the first Jew. It is an amazing and striking discovery. Science now offers evidence that the Jews spread throughout the world are all one people.

Tracing the DNA of all Jews is one way of answering the question: Who is a Jew? Some say that Judaism is determined by birth and the religious status of your mother, as in traditional Jewish law. Others claim that Judaism is more of a choice, an affiliation that we make in a free society that allows us to determine our own religious identity. Today, genetics adds another perspective to the debate.

The finding that all Jews share common genes has great potential to create unity among Jews throughout the world. In his book, Entine demonstrates the authenticity of the Bene Israel, a group of brown skinned people in India. Their DNA proves that they are Jews, sharing the same genes with their pale Ashkenazi cousins. Likewise, the Black Lemba Tribe of Africa has claimed for over a century that they are Jewish. They were tested and proven to come from the Middle East just like the rest of us.

The Falashas, the black Jews of Ethopia, are another interesting case. They claim ancestry to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. In the 1980s, many Ethiopian Jews moved to Israel. However, DNA testing suggests that they do not share the same genes as the rest of world Jewry. This is in line with scholarly research which states that in the 5th or 6th century, a large number of Ethopians, including royalty, converted to Judaism. They have remained faithful Jews for over 1,500 years.

The DNA research reminds us that Jews are not only pale with dark hair and brown eyes. We are related to Jews who are Africans, Indians, Europeons and Middle Easterners. By embracing the new genetic findings, we learn to accept Jews of every color and stripe, which is good for the Jewish people as a whole.

Genetic research into the question of “who is a Jew” also has the potential to create divisiveness and even suffering for the Jewish people. The Nazis used eugenics to seek to create a master Aryan race. An easily accessible DNA test to see if someone is Jewish could be used to single out Jews for persecution.

Whenever you set up standards for Judaism, and define who exactly is a Jew, you create the possibility of excluding others. Whether your criteria is DNA, skin color or belief, all ways of defining Judaism create division within the Jewish people.

Part of my job as a rabbi is to help shape the question of who is a Jew. I do not advocate for including everyone within the Jewish people. For example, Jews for Jesus are not Jews in my eyes. However, as a Reform rabbi, I follow our movement’s example of inclusion. To me, a Jew is a person with either a Jewish mother or father or who converted, and who calls themselves a Jew. It is not enough in our world just to have the genetic background. A person must identify themselves as Jewish to be a part of our people.

I include all converts as full Jews. I welcome gay and lesbian Jews as members of the community, along with Jews of every skin color. And to me, an interfaith couple that chooses to raise Jewish children is a Jewish family.

After learning about the new book, I was excited at the prospect of being able to trace my DNA back to Abraham. If a test was available to see if my genes go back 4,000 years to the Middle East, I probably would take it out of curiosity. I also see the dangers of creating a genetic basis for Judaism, since it can lead to exclusion or even persecution. Our task today is not to focus on Jewish authenticity and who is really Jewish. Rather, we should spend our time helping our fellow Jews to be more Jewish, to pray more, to learn more and to feel closer to one another. As a rabbi, I participate in the debate of who is a Jew. But I see my job as being inclusive and welcoming, in order to strengthen our people for generations to come.

To read more about genetic testing and Jewish identity in the recent issue of Reform Judaism magazine: CLICK HERE

The Goldfish Toss and Aquariums

The first time I can remember wanting a fish for a pet was when I was seven or eight years old. It was during the Purim Carnival at my Temple. The holiday of Purim celebrates how Mordechai and Esther saved the Jewish people from the evil Haman. Each year the Temple runs a Purim carnival for kids, and the game that I wanted to play again and again was the “Goldfish Toss.” There were maybe fifty small jars, all filled with water, a few of which had small goldfish within. You would stand back, toss the ping-pong ball, and if it landed in the jars with one of the goldfish, you went home with a new friend in a plastic bag.

More than once I won the Goldfish Toss, brought home the goldfish and set up the requisite bowl. However, my prized new pet never lasted more than a few weeks. That is what happens when you never clean out the goldfish bowl.

Picture: A Hama Nishiki goldfish courtsey of wikipedia.org

After a few years, my parents bought a 10 gallon aquarium, advertised as containing everything you would need to create a beautiful new home for tropical fish. Within the glass aquarium I found a Penn-Plax filter, a heater, some green fluorescent gravel, a few plastic plants and a little treasure chest whose lid would open and close as a stream of bubbles flowed out of it. I diligently followed all of the directions, de-chlorinating the water, preparing the filter, and setting up the plastic plants. My first aquarium was a complete disaster. Not a single fish that I bought lived for very long. The neon tetras, mollies and the delicate angel fish had a brief stay in my tank.

So it went for a few more tries. I would follow the directions, set up the aquarium, and my fish would swim happily for a few months. Then the inevitable mistakes and lack of cleaning would lead to the demise of those beautiful black mollies or tiger barbs. One time when I was about ten or eleven and all of my fish died, I decided that maybe the problem was that the aquarium was not clean enough. So I washed it out with bleach! Needless to say, the next set of fish was doomed from the start. Looking back, I wish that my parents would have seen what I was doing, and prevented the unnecessary carnage.

It was not until I was eighteen that I finally figured out how to keep the fish alive. It happened by sheer accident. I went through the usual routine. The aquarium looked great for a few months, and then all the fish died. I was about to clean it out and give up, when I saw something amazing. There were six very tiny baby fish that looked like tadpoles. A female blue moon platy fish had given birth. Soon those babies had more babies, and the tank was full of twenty or so blue moons, all healthy. The aquarium lasted about four years, with many generations of fish, and I took great pride in it.

As I look back on it, I am not sure why I kept trying to set up a new aquarium after each failure. It did cross my mind that it was not nice to keep killing fish. However, I loved the beauty of the tank. At night, with all of the lights off in my room except for the aquarium fluorescent bulb, I would watch the fish floating contently in the water. From a half-inch neon tetra to a large rainbow trout in a stream, fish are very serene animals. If I had a rough day at school, I could sit and watch the aquarium, and feel a sense of peace.

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. On the Sabbath, the day of rest, we say to each other “Shabbat Shalom,” which means “May you have a day of peace.” Searching for serenity in our busy and complex world is not easy. Between the phone ringing, the constant arrival of text messages, the internet and the television, it is easy to feel distracted and stressed even when at home. A serene aquarium reminds us to take a moment to breathe and to appreciate the joys of family life.

Owning an aquarium also taught me what it means to care for another living creature. One of my Bar Mitzvah students wrote a speech about a pet lizard that his parents bought him. He said that he always forgot about the animal, and fed it very infrequently. He was not surprised that the lizard did not last very long. It was a good lesson for the young man to learn about responsibility, but I wish that the animal did not have to suffer for him to come to this understanding.

Keeping an aquarium or owning a dog or a cat is a serious undertaking. Sometimes we forget that the animal is totally dependent on us to stay alive. By keeping pets, parents have the opportunity to teach their children caring and compassion, and they also have the responsibility to make sure that the animal is not harmed.

Judaism is concerned with the welfare of animals. Tzaar baalei chaim is the Jewish value of avoiding the unnecessary pain of other living creatures. The book of Deuteronomy says that if you see your neighbor’s ox or sheep gone astray, you must return it to him, so that the animal does not suffer. Likewise, if you find a mother bird in a nest, you may not take the mother along with the eggs. Rather you must send the bird away before taking the eggs, to lessen her suffering.

It has been about five years since I last had an aquarium. Taking care of the fish was just too much work, and I always felt guilty when my mistakes caused the death of another living creature. But I do miss watching those tiny colorful tetras swimming serenely in the tank. Today I have a bird, a small green nanday conure, who is very cute, but not very quiet or peaceful. She loves to squawk and ring her bell. When I crave shalom and serenity, I go fly fishing, where I sometimes have the privilege of holding a beautiful brown trout in my hands, and then releasing him back into the river where he belongs.

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The Goldfish Toss and Aquariums

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