:00:02. > :00:10.for On The Road With... An orthodox rabbi. Matthew Stadlen spends the
:00:10. > :00:14.day with a rabbi. Harvey is the rabbi of Golders
:00:14. > :00:23.Green synagogue. He is 43 years old and lives in London, where he grew
:00:23. > :00:32.I want to get a sense of what life is like for him as an orthodox
:00:32. > :00:39.rabbi, so I spent the day with him. Good morning, Rabbi. Where are we
:00:39. > :00:43.have to? It is 6:45am the morning and dark outside, Sue we are off to
:00:43. > :00:48.the synagogue. How long have you been rabbi there? 8 1/2 years.
:00:48. > :00:54.how long have you been a rabbi overall? 15 years. Where does the
:00:54. > :01:00.word Rabhi come from? It means teacher. You are a teacher? I do
:01:00. > :01:10.lots of things, but yes. morning service lasts around a 45
:01:10. > :01:16.minutes. Today the rabbi is leading it with members of the congregation.
:01:17. > :01:19.These are prayer boxes we were wearing. The bubble in the Book of
:01:19. > :01:24.Exodus and Deuteronomy in straight sets to take the passages where
:01:24. > :01:29.these things are mentioned and turn them into device is one chapter to
:01:29. > :01:35.the arm and head. So you have a box which contains each of these
:01:35. > :01:39.passages, one for the arm, one for the head. The arm one represents
:01:39. > :01:49.devotion and physical strength. The head one represents the devotion of
:01:49. > :01:57.
:01:57. > :02:00.How often would you lead a service? On a weekday, quite infrequently.
:02:00. > :02:07.There are many competent people in our community who can do it as well
:02:07. > :02:11.as I can. And also, all of us have the right to lead a service.
:02:11. > :02:18.Following the death of a parent, for example, they can choose to
:02:18. > :02:23.lead a service and generally do. I am part of a rota of people, so I
:02:23. > :02:29.need the services periodically. it not a primary rabbinical
:02:29. > :02:33.function to lead a service? No. It is not. In some communities, the
:02:33. > :02:38.rabbi is the only person who is able to do so, in which case they
:02:38. > :02:43.have no option. But there are lots of able people who can lead the
:02:43. > :02:51.service, and I take my turn with them. It is not among my primary
:02:51. > :02:59.responsibilities. The focal point of every synagogue is this cupboard,
:02:59. > :03:02.in which the Torah scrolls are stored. A Torah scroll is a
:03:02. > :03:05.handwritten version of the five books of Moses, written on
:03:06. > :03:11.parchment with a special pen in the Hebrew original. They are stored in
:03:11. > :03:21.this cupboard, except when they are being read, which is on certain
:03:21. > :03:40.
:03:40. > :03:44.days during the services. The service did not take place in
:03:44. > :03:49.the main building of the synagogue, so I am going to have a look at it
:03:49. > :03:53.with the rabbi. How big is this synagogue? It is a pretty big one.
:03:53. > :03:58.Synagogues come in all shapes and sizes, from the very small to huge.
:03:58. > :04:03.This is not the largest, but it is from an era when people built
:04:03. > :04:09.grandiose buildings on a huge scale, Cathedral-style. It was an era when
:04:09. > :04:14.lots of people came together in a single space. When was it built?
:04:14. > :04:19.the 1920s, in two phrases. The building was as it is by the end of
:04:19. > :04:24.the '20s. Why didn't you hold that service here? This synagogue seats
:04:24. > :04:27.nearly 1200 people. On a weekday, the attendant is modest, so it is
:04:27. > :04:32.nicer to have an atmosphere where the building is full. On Sabbath's
:04:32. > :04:37.and festivals, we have a service here. Why were there no women at
:04:37. > :04:41.the service? Women are welcome. They sometimes come during the week.
:04:41. > :04:46.There are as many women as men during many festivals. During the
:04:46. > :04:51.week, only men have an obligation to pray in a forum like this. As
:04:51. > :04:55.many women pray as men, but they tend to pray in private rather than
:04:55. > :05:01.at a service. But they are welcome. And when they do come, do they go
:05:01. > :05:09.in the same room or a separate room? In the same room, but we have
:05:09. > :05:14.services which are segregated. is that? Jewish law understands
:05:14. > :05:17.that men and women tend to mix socially in certain environments
:05:17. > :05:22.and it is better in terms of concentration, thinking about the
:05:22. > :05:29.prayers and focusing on what is at hand, to be in a separate
:05:30. > :05:39.environment. After the service, the rabbi had a steady session with his
:05:40. > :05:53.
:05:53. > :05:56.friend. -- a study session. And I think you are right. Learning the
:05:57. > :06:00.Torah, understanding the world through the lens of the Torah and
:06:00. > :06:06.the rabbinical tradition that goes with it, is a central part of
:06:06. > :06:15.Jewish life. Many times a week, in this context three times a week, we
:06:15. > :06:20.study a passage from the Talmud. was pernickety. He did not like the
:06:20. > :06:24.idea of holding sticky food in his fingers. At the moment, we are
:06:24. > :06:28.studying the last chapter that deals with the Day of atonement. On
:06:28. > :06:32.the yum Kapoor, the Bible forbids us to eat. So there is a discussion
:06:32. > :06:37.as to what constitutes eating, how little food or how much food. We
:06:37. > :06:41.are discussing relative quantities in ancient times. Quantities were
:06:41. > :06:46.not measured as they are today. But there were foods we are familiar
:06:46. > :06:49.with - eggs, dates. We were discussing volumes and their
:06:49. > :06:57.significance in Jewish law. What is the significance of you studying
:06:57. > :07:01.with a partner? Studying art alone is like playing tennis alone. There
:07:01. > :07:05.is no interchange of ideas, no excitement. If I have a view, I
:07:05. > :07:09.want to discuss it with someone else to make sure I have it right.
:07:09. > :07:15.It is a traditional study method since ancient times. You study with
:07:15. > :07:19.a partner, and it is the most exciting way to learn. This may
:07:19. > :07:25.sound like a silly question. There are no silly questions, just silly
:07:25. > :07:31.answers. Do you really believe in God? Yes, I really believe in God.
:07:31. > :07:34.What does that mean to you? means I believe in a God who is
:07:34. > :07:38.interested in individuals, who supervises the actions of man. And
:07:38. > :07:42.although he gives us free choice and human beings are misusing it
:07:42. > :07:45.and mucking up the world, in essence it is possible for humans
:07:45. > :07:50.to find meaning and spirituality in their lives and build a connection
:07:50. > :07:54.with a higher power which brought the universe into being and has
:07:54. > :08:01.expectations of our lives. What would you do if hypothetically I
:08:01. > :08:06.were able to prove to you that God does not exist? It is like this. I
:08:06. > :08:09.think Judaism is more than capable of abutting, discussing and
:08:09. > :08:13.considering every philosophical challenge, and always has been. But
:08:13. > :08:17.when you can do that, come back and we will discuss it. What do you
:08:17. > :08:23.believe happens after death? continue to exist in some spiritual
:08:23. > :08:25.form. You believe in an afterlife? Absolutely. I am going with the
:08:25. > :08:32.rabbi to a cemetery where funerals are held for members of his
:08:32. > :08:38.community. As a community Rabbi, I deal with the range of pasta or
:08:38. > :08:42.needs. That means, that God, that people are getting married,
:08:42. > :08:45.celebrating and having babies. But it also means that there are people
:08:45. > :08:49.who have counselling needs, problems and issues and need
:08:49. > :08:53.support in various ways. The role of the rabbi and the communities to
:08:53. > :08:57.ensure that we can provide support in happy times and difficult times
:08:57. > :09:04.as well. I am involved in that process, but providing the support
:09:04. > :09:07.and encouraging others. Sadly, people die, and I need to be on
:09:07. > :09:11.hand to conduct the funeral and deal with the practicalities. I
:09:11. > :09:15.need to be there to support them through their grief and a difficult
:09:15. > :09:19.process, and to help them conduct any memorial services and other
:09:19. > :09:23.activities they wish to do in memory of the person who died.
:09:23. > :09:26.often do you go to the cemetery? depends whether somebody dies in
:09:27. > :09:32.the community. If there is a loss, I come to conduct the funeral
:09:32. > :09:36.service. And then between six and 12 months later, we have a
:09:36. > :09:40.tombstone consecration. The family get together and there is a eulogy
:09:40. > :09:43.about the deceased and a few songs and readings, and we come to the
:09:43. > :09:48.cemetery to read the newly consecrated stones which the family
:09:48. > :09:53.have chosen. So twice per bereavement, but happens. Hopefully
:09:53. > :09:59.there will not be too many visits in the coming winter. Described to
:09:59. > :10:05.me how a funeral service works. body arrives having been prepared
:10:05. > :10:08.for burial and dressed in shrouds. The service is brief. We go into a
:10:08. > :10:14.hall, the family gather round, there are some brief readings which
:10:14. > :10:18.talk about themes and god's justice at difficult times. Then there is a
:10:18. > :10:22.eulogy they given by a rabbi or a member of the family. Then the body
:10:22. > :10:27.is brought out and buried. Then we returned to the hall for a short
:10:27. > :10:32.reading of Psalms, and that is it. The service part takes no longer
:10:32. > :10:37.than 15 minutes. After the funeral, the family go home and spend a week
:10:37. > :10:40.of mourning. During this time, they don't go to work. They sit around
:10:40. > :10:44.and chat and think about the deceased and begin to come to terms
:10:44. > :10:49.with their loss. There are also services in the house during that
:10:49. > :10:59.time. Lots of people offer their condolences. I would visit during
:10:59. > :11:05.
:11:05. > :11:10.that time. What were you doing there? When one leaves a cemetery,
:11:10. > :11:14.it is customary to wash one's hands. It marks that one has completed
:11:14. > :11:21.one's responsibilities to the deceased and moving on to something
:11:21. > :11:27.else. The rabbi has a meeting with local MP Mike freer. So you two are
:11:27. > :11:32.in dialogue? Yes. Sometimes we speak often. Other times, there is
:11:32. > :11:42.a gap. We don't badger each other, but we know we are both there for
:11:42. > :11:43.
:11:43. > :11:47.advice. It works very well. It is time for lunch, before the rabbi
:11:47. > :11:54.takes a rest. I start my day very early in the morning and often
:11:54. > :12:04.teach until 10 or 11 at night. So I need a snooze after lunch, and that
:12:04. > :12:04.
:12:04. > :12:10.is where I am going now. How did you come to be a rabbi? I have been
:12:10. > :12:20.a rabbi since 1994, when I received my ordination from the college in
:12:20. > :12:21.
:12:21. > :12:24.which I studied. You become a rabbi by studying certain texts. And you
:12:24. > :12:27.demonstrate competence in Jewish sources, and then you become
:12:27. > :12:33.entitled to call yourself a rabbi through a process where you are
:12:34. > :12:38.examined in Jewish law and become competent in it. There is another
:12:38. > :12:44.kind of Rabbi which is advertised and interviewed for, which in 1997,
:12:44. > :12:48.I got one of these jobs in Essex. Did you go to university, and if so,
:12:48. > :12:54.where and what did you study? went to Oxford in the late '80s. I
:12:54. > :13:00.did a maths degree and then a PhD in philosophy. Did you always want
:13:00. > :13:06.to become a rabbi? No, actually. I went through various phases of
:13:06. > :13:09.wanting to be an accountant, a lawyer, actuary. After I finished
:13:09. > :13:14.university and went to study, it really gripped me. I enjoyed what I
:13:14. > :13:17.was learning and had the right kind of character. Eventually, it became
:13:17. > :13:22.apparent that this was the right path for me and my wife. How many
:13:22. > :13:26.times a day do you pray? Three- times. There are a morning and
:13:26. > :13:30.afternoon service, and an evening service. Sometimes the afternoon
:13:30. > :13:34.and evening services are back to back, so I only go to the synagogue
:13:34. > :13:41.twice. On Sabbath's, there is a morning service which is a fourth
:13:41. > :13:46.service. What does it mean to you to be an orthodox Jew? It means to
:13:46. > :13:50.believe in the historical truth of the revelation at Mount Sinai, that
:13:50. > :13:54.God presented the five books of Moses as we have them and that that
:13:54. > :13:58.revelation creates a binding imperative for all time for Jewish
:13:58. > :14:03.people. There is a tradition which was given at the same time as the
:14:03. > :14:06.five books of Moses. Together, the written texts and the all tradition
:14:07. > :14:15.form the obligations of Judaism which we observe today. How would
:14:15. > :14:20.you describe yourself on a scale of orthodoxy? I prefer to allow God to
:14:20. > :14:27.describe my level of orthodoxy. Have governed by Jewish law is your
:14:27. > :14:30.day-to-day life? Jewish law is a way in which every aspect of human
:14:30. > :14:34.experience can be enhanced. It does not tell me how to prioritise my
:14:34. > :14:44.time or what job I should take or how I should spend my day, but it
:14:44. > :14:44.
:14:44. > :14:54.does tell me what I should eat, how I should speak. It tells me I have
:14:54. > :15:04.
:15:04. > :15:09.to prey on certain occasions. It The rabbi is a mentor at two
:15:09. > :15:19.chaplaincy. He supports and provides services to Jewish
:15:19. > :15:22.
:15:22. > :15:32.students. If they themselves cannot do it? As long as they get someone
:15:32. > :15:34.
:15:34. > :15:44.to do it. He is meeting up with another rabbi. He is acting as a
:15:44. > :15:53.
:15:54. > :15:59.mentor for his younger friend. There is a wonderful atmosphere. It
:15:59. > :16:07.is warm and welcoming. There is a great rapport between some of the
:16:07. > :16:15.members. Is it successful despite you? Is there a community of
:16:15. > :16:19.orthodox rabbis? How does it work? There is an active organisation
:16:19. > :16:24.with the rabbis work together in the general interest of the
:16:24. > :16:29.communities. When we are working together for a conference programme
:16:29. > :16:39.early next year which will hopefully enhance the personal and
:16:39. > :16:43.
:16:43. > :16:51.communal experience of all of other rabbis. The rabbi has that meeting
:16:51. > :17:00.with a family about their son's upcoming balm its fat. He was the
:17:00. > :17:09.most positive person we ever knew. It is going really well, it is
:17:09. > :17:14.great. You are losing it a little by going too fast. Your father is
:17:14. > :17:24.and master at speaking at the exactly right pace. Listen to your
:17:24. > :17:31.
:17:31. > :17:38.dad and it is going to be fine. You have only got five minutes. Is it
:17:38. > :17:46.easy, it difficult or a bit of both being unorthodox due in London in
:17:46. > :17:51.2011? We are lucky to live in a country whose laws allow was to
:17:52. > :17:59.observe our religion freely, dress as we wish and raise our children
:17:59. > :18:04.as we wish. Most Jews throughout history did not enjoy those things.
:18:04. > :18:12.By and large it is a great pleasure to live in London as an orthodox
:18:12. > :18:15.Jew today. What is your basic view of his real? I am in awe of the
:18:15. > :18:21.miraculous return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. That
:18:21. > :18:26.they have managed to build a stake since 1948. I take my hat off to
:18:26. > :18:31.the visionaries who have worked to make it so successful. I believe it
:18:31. > :18:38.is absolutely right for the Jewish people to have their own homeland
:18:38. > :18:45.in Israel. I strongly support its activities. I commiserate with its
:18:45. > :18:50.failures. It does not mean I agree with every policy of the Israeli
:18:50. > :18:56.Government but by and large it is a positive identification. Any
:18:56. > :19:00.sensible person does not blindly agree with every policy of any
:19:00. > :19:05.Government but recognises it has good points and weaknesses as well.
:19:05. > :19:10.Do you ever find yourself thinking hang on a second, why am I doing
:19:10. > :19:16.this, according to Jewish law? should certainly hope so. The
:19:16. > :19:20.purpose of creating a system is to make you think why am I doing this?
:19:20. > :19:26.While my be heaving a certain way? What does God want of me? That
:19:26. > :19:36.prompts me also to say do I understand why Jewish law regulates
:19:36. > :19:37.
:19:37. > :19:46.in this particular way? We all go on doing things by robot which is
:19:46. > :19:51.the enemy of spirituality. Every act in Jewish law is encouraged.
:19:51. > :19:57.What is the significance of the Sabbath? It is the central plank of
:19:57. > :20:05.weekly Jewish observance. It recognises that God made our world
:20:05. > :20:09.in six days, it recognises he runs the show. It is time for prayers
:20:09. > :20:14.and family in a non- pressured environment. It is against the
:20:14. > :20:20.backdrop of certain prohibitions. We are not allowed to do certain
:20:20. > :20:24.activities. You can imagine if you take some sand, metal and oil and
:20:24. > :20:29.with human ability we can turn that into an amazing device of
:20:29. > :20:35.communication. Human beings are incredible at reworking and
:20:35. > :20:41.reforming the materials in our world in the same week got it in
:20:41. > :20:45.the original creative process. We acknowledge hour attempt to emulate
:20:45. > :20:51.got by ceasing those activities on the Sabbath and celebrating what we
:20:51. > :20:57.have rather than what we can create. Rather than becoming it is a day of
:20:57. > :21:07.being that is what the Sabbath is about. Do you switch lights on on
:21:07. > :21:10.
:21:10. > :21:18.the Sabbath? We do not. Turning lights on, creating circuits is
:21:18. > :21:26.like making fire. The world of the Sabbath is experienced by leading
:21:26. > :21:32.lights on timers. It is cheaper to leave a light on a timer? No. Many
:21:32. > :21:40.people think timers have been created recently but in ancient
:21:40. > :21:45.times there were ways to run water mills at certain times of the tide.
:21:45. > :21:51.Those questions were debated in ancient times as to whether people
:21:51. > :21:56.could set a process of on a Friday to run something on a Saturday.
:21:56. > :22:02.you believe God created the world in six days? I believe absolutely
:22:02. > :22:07.that God created the world. I also recognise that a story of creation
:22:07. > :22:12.in six days is strongly refuted by scientific evidence from a range of
:22:12. > :22:17.disciplines. A modern faithful interpretation to the text is that
:22:17. > :22:21.the six these represent six periods of time, six either as of an
:22:21. > :22:26.evolutionary process and I find no conflict between an ancient
:22:26. > :22:33.universe and the traditional understanding of the biblical story.
:22:33. > :22:38.What you think happened before got? The word before it in respect to a
:22:38. > :22:48.God who lives outside of a time frame has no meaning. It is like
:22:48. > :22:52.
:22:52. > :23:02.seeing what colour is 2 o'clock? -- saying. It is back to the synagogue
:23:02. > :23:19.
:23:19. > :23:27.This evening's service seemed less formal than this morning's. People
:23:27. > :23:37.were not dressed in the same way. That is right. The Bible prescribes
:23:37. > :23:37.
:23:37. > :23:44.what should be worn during D-Day but not at night. The rabbi is
:23:44. > :23:54.teaching a class in Jewish law. must be someone you can trust to is
:23:54. > :23:56.
:23:56. > :24:06.reliable. There are two and a monocle signs to identify these
:24:06. > :24:18.
:24:18. > :24:27.fish. One is what it swims with, a thin. -- fin. The other is as gale.
:24:27. > :24:37.It might appear on some part of its body but does not need to be
:24:37. > :24:47.completely covered in them. -- scale. The question was whether at
:24:47. > :24:50.
:24:50. > :24:53.her but is a fish. -- a turbot. Behind the scenes there is a
:24:53. > :25:00.question on whatever community has a practice which does not seem to
:25:00. > :25:10.be supported by Jewish law. We explore at the legal issue within
:25:10. > :25:12.
:25:12. > :25:17.the backdrop of social methods. you think the slaughter by a kosher
:25:17. > :25:25.method is cruel? I do not think so. I think it is as good as any other
:25:25. > :25:30.method. The how are you paid? a full-time employee of the
:25:30. > :25:35.synagogue. In addition to that, teaching, advisory roles and other
:25:35. > :25:41.things I do for bodies, organisations and individuals are
:25:41. > :25:47.charged separately. Do you ever doubt the existence of God?
:25:47. > :25:51.really but it is clear that any sensitive thinking person when
:25:51. > :25:56.accompanied -- confronted by bad things happening in the world will