Murder at the Minyan
by
Shulamit E. Kustanowitz
DISCUSSION
GUIDE
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Aside from personal
interactions between the rabbi and his family and congregants, the story touches
on societal and cultural challenges facing many Jews today including Shabbat
observance, kashrut, Jewish education, tefilah, tzedakah, marriage, conversion,
Brit Milah, honoring parents, visiting the sick, burying the dead and the
treasure of Jewish unity.
Themes
Intermovement
relations
The tapestry of the
Jewish people as presented in this book marks distinctions between observances
this way:
o
The Orthodox maintain separate
seating (men and women sit separately) and are suspicious of any deviations from
tradition that they observe.
o
The Conservative are committed
to Jewish institutions but want to make their own rules about ritual observance.
o
The Reform focus on relations
between people rather than the rules of ritual observance.
But all Jews come
together when a tragedy strikes.
Is this how it must be?
Can they get along without putting each other down?
Do Jews act in unison
only during bad times?
Are these definitions
fair or accurate?
Interfaith
suspicions
In this book, the
relations between Judaism and other religions is examined.
Is an interfaith
Thanksgiving event fruitful or does being in the others’ place of worship only
intensify the differences?
What is difficult about
living in
Have you ever been the
object of anti-Semitism or witnessed it?
Should conversion to
Judaism be encouraged?
Is the depiction of
mutual suspicion fair or accurate?
A
rabbi’s life and life-cycle events
Some of the tensions a
rabbi must live with are described in this story.
Should a rabbi have
his/her own family life or, like the image of a priest, should that life have
the needs of its flock as the top priority?
Should the rabbi’s
spouse or children feel they live in a fishbowl or accept their responsibility
of setting a good example for the congregants?
The rabbi’s children
in this story live a distance from other observant Jews and have a hard time
with the seclusion that Shabbat and holidays demand of them. Is there anything
the family can do to make observance less of a burden?
When a rabbi feels put
down or stressed, to whom should he turn?
Do you think this rabbi
will leave the country, leave the rabbinate, leave this pulpit or stay with the
traumatized congregation?
How much of synagogue
prayer is understood and inspiring; how much is rote and comforting only because
it is familiar, and how much is downright boring and/or too long and likely to
alienate individuals who must attend?
In the book, synagogue
leaders discuss where tzedakah (charity) funds should be spent. Should the
success of
What should the
relationship between
In religious matters
(such as the conversion in this story), should
Should nonobservant
Israelis know more about Jewish history and religious traditions or is living in
Mitzvot
Several mitzvot are
mentioned in the book, so it’s clear that they are more than the “good
deeds” their translation renders them to be.
What do Shabbat
observance, kosher food, tzedakah (charity), honoring parents, visiting the sick
and burying the dead have in common?
Is saying Kaddish for a
deceased close relative a mitzvah? Is it more important than other mitzvot? Why
does the act command so much devotion?
Honoring
parents
In this story, some
parents seem worthy of respect and others don’t.
Is there a limit to
honoring one’s parents or, because it is one of the Ten Commandments, is it
limitless and eternal?
The Talmud discusses
the case of a marriage pageant and a funeral procession arriving at an
intersection at the same time, asking which must yield to let the other pass
first? In other words, which is more important, honoring the living, such as a
wedding couple, or remembering the dead, such as a parent?
Egalitarian
worship
In this book, the
ultimate judgment seems to be made by a woman.
Does religious life
need an update to conform with modern life or is there more value to honoring
traditional roles? In the modern day, should the old rules still apply, that
women are not responsible for time-specific mitzvot? Or should “Mr. Mom” men
have roles reversed in the religious sphere, too?
Should the tradition be
changed so that the mother be mentioned (along with the father) at their son’s
bris or the bar/bat mitzvah of their children?
Homosexuality
Same-sex unions are
mentioned as possibly being legal from a secular standpoint but not a religious
one. It’s likened to meat that is legal but not kosher.
What position should
Jewish law take on this issue? Would it be possible to accept such inclinations
from congregants but not from clergy?