Thoughts on the Proposed Mosque near Ground Zero

I’ve been ruminating on the proposed mosque near the site of the 9/11-terror attack.
While I understand the emotions swirling around the mosque question, once one regains ones rational faculties, I really don’t see the issue. Is this not America, where property rites trump almost all others? Are not freedom of religious expression and equal protection under the law, foundational principles of our democracy? Regardless of how we might feel, it’s simple; they own the property, it’s zoned for that use, they have every right to build the mosque there, end of story, as far as I am concerned.
Well, ok, there may be more to the story, but not about whether they can build their mosque. In my mind the story continues like this... What does it say about American society that we are so quick to jettison basic rights in an expression of our outrage toward radical Islam? Another question; can we even differentiate between radical Islam and more moderate forms? I do understand the fear factor and I think, in part, it is real; there is a great animosity in much of the Arab Moslem world towards “The West” and America especially (the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan haven’t helped much!). It’s also not clear how moderate any form of Islam can be, at least as it is currently practiced. And, from a Jewish perspective, the Anti-Semitism (not to mention the Anti-Israel rhetoric) in the Arab, Moslem world is pervasive and mainstream.
Nevertheless, we can not give in to our fears. We also most remember that it is the Rule of Law in America that has made America such a great place for the Jews. Any weakening of this great foundation of American Society is a threat to what makes America great for everyone, including us!

How a Buddhist Teacher Made Me a Better Jew...

The Vietnamese Buddhist Thic Nhat Han taught me the deeper meaning of “motzi” , the blessing we say over bread. In his book, Peace In Every Step, he writes that “a poet can see clouds in a piece of paper”. What he means is that, with the right sight, one can see the whole chain of Being that culminates in what ever object you are observing. For the paper it would be rain, the growth of a tree, the birth of a baby who would some day grow up to cut and process the tree, and so forth. How does this related to “motzi”?
A piece of paper may inspire a poet but for a Jew there is nothing better than food – symbolized by bread – to get the juices flowing (And what about a Jewish Poet?). The literal translation of “motzi” is something like, “Blessed are you God, Sovereign of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the ground.” Have you ever seen bread shooting out of the ground? This is where Thic Nhat Han comes in because until I read his little book and the quote about a poet and a piece of paper, I’d never really thought about what the words of “motzi” really mean; I just reflexively said the prayer. But, with his insight the words came together in a new, deep and profoundly Jewish way: bread doesn’t shoot out of the ground! When we say “motzi” we are acknowledging and thanking God for the whole process that results in the bread. This process includes in it a Divine – Human partnership which we also bring to consciousness; God makes the seed that (miraculously) can grow into a plant, but we are the gardener and the baker. Wow! When you really think about it, there is a lot to a piece of bread, and great depth to a simple prayer like “motzi” if you say it with the right kavanah/intension.
Thic Nhat Han calls this understanding of the interrelated nature of things “interbeing”, we Jews say “Shemah Yisrael, Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai Echad!"