An extravaganza of fresh thinking

SIMON APFEL

About 3 500 people gathered at the Sandton Convention Centre last weekend to hear some of the Jewish world’s celebrated thinkers and speakers share multifaceted insights on relationships, personal development, spirituality, creativity, Jewish philosophy, Jewish mysticism and Israel diplomacy.

More than 200 teenagers from Johannesburg’s Jewish schools attended the Sinai Next youth track.

“Sinai Indaba is the summit of our magnificent South African Jewish community, where we come together to affirm our values and our vision, where we learn and experience what it takes to create a great society,” said Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein, who founded Sinai Indaba in 2012.

He started off the event on a positive note for the Saturday night opening, telling the audience: “We make a choice every day about how we tell the story of our lives. Whether it’s about the country we live in, the people around us, the community we are a part of, the State of Israel or our own personal lives, we can either construct a narrative that is pessimistic or we can choose to be optimistic in how we see the world.”

At its heart, said Goldstein, Sinai Indaba is about storytelling. “The route to positive and optimistic storytelling is through finding meaning, and over the course of tonight and tomorrow, we will be exploring and sharing in that meaning with our line-up of wonderful guest speakers.”

The speakers embodied that positivity. Here is what they had to say:

Laibl Wolf

Educational psychologist, meditation expert

•     “Consciousness is the human experience of the soul flowing through the organs of the body.”

•     “We have the capacity to live vertically – to take every moment and explore it up and down, inside-out, to swim below the surface and get to know others more deeply, get to know ourselves more deeply, understand the world around us on deeper terms.”

•     “There is no virtue of meditation in itself; it must be a pathway towards a goal.”

Alexandre Elicha

Founder and creative director of The Kooples

•     “Don’t be afraid to be different. Don’t be afraid that people will point and say things about you. When you own what you do and are not ashamed of what you are, people find you fascinating and LOVE your difference.”

•     “There is nothing more trendy than Torah. Torah is having the answer to tomorrow’s question.”

•     “I’m in a creative industry – I create new clothes, new trends, new things. But you can’t create every day. Sometimes you just need to stop. You need Shabbat.”

Rivka Malka Perlman

Transformation coach

•     “When you see yourself in a kinder way, you see others in a kinder way.”

•     “The providential perspective: every experience is a healing opportunity.”

•     “All of life with G-d is a game of hide and seek, and what He wants is to be found.”

Dr David Ribner

Sex therapist

•     “Most school-based programmes on sexuality tell us what not to do. We need programmes that tell us about the beauty of sexual relationships, the pleasure of a mutual relationship, the notion of connecting in a way that’s not just physical, but is spiritual, psychological, emotional.”

•     “Holiness is the result of the perfecting of a relationship.”

•     “There is a perception that religion only tries to limit sexuality. Judaism is not contradictory to having a normative kind of intense, passionate sexual life.”

Peter Himmelman

Folk rock icon, creativity expert

•     “Optimism is not anything more than a tool. If you’re optimistic, then you have to do something with the optimism.”

•     “In the big, formative moments of life, people don’t change in essence – part of their essence is revealed. What exists is made present.”

•     “Great music is one part right brain and structure, and one part flowing emotions; it’s only the wedding of those two sides that makes it work and brings out the beauty.”

Rabbi Saul Djanogly

Wealth manager

•     “I’ve made it my business to observe wealthy people, millionaires, multi-millionaires… so, what’s the secret to making lots of money? Luck.”

•     “Every pessimist is a disappointed optimist.”

•     “G-d has deliberately created inequality so that there can be chesed – an opportunity for those who are more fortunate to help those who are less fortunate. Wealth redistribution as a Divine mandate.”

Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein

Director of Interfaith Affairs for the Simon Wiesenthal Center

•     “For the first time in 2 000 years, those who used to hate us and persecute us and murder us now look to us for guidance, direction and help in their own struggles. This is an incredible opportunity.”

•     “There is enormous pressure against any kind of absolute belief in the West today. Anyone who has an absolute belief in anything is counter-cultural.”

•     “Judaism is the only monotheistic religion in the world that doesn’t claim to have the exclusive keys to the kingdom of heaven.”

Esther Wein

Innovative educator

•     “The body and soul are soul mates. Living in peace with our neshama, making this match work out, is our mission in life.”

•     “We are designed to belong and to extend that sense of belonging to those around us.”

•     “The soul is invisible. But if we live in harmony with our soul, it becomes visible.”

Rabbi YY Rubinstein

British TV and radio personality

•     “Why did G-d tell us about 974 failed worlds before He created our world, which He called “very good”? Because the whole basis of our world – our collective world as well as our personal world – is that you get it wrong before you get it right.”

•     “Forgiveness means giving up the hope of a better past.”

•     While JK Rowling was writing that little book of hers in that little corner café in Glasgow, her child was being looked after by the Scottish chief rabbi’s teenage daughter… yes, all the secrets are going to come out this afternoon. Did I mention I grew up in the same street as Alex Ferguson?”

Michael Dickson

Executive director of StandWithUs

•     “We have never been, nor will we ever be, allowed to be defined by others. Our destiny is ours alone to shape.”

•     “Quiet co-existence happens in Israel every single day.”

•     “A country is not defined by its imperfections, but by how it deals with its imperfections, and Israel is improving itself all the time.”

What participants said:

“A beautiful, well organised day. I felt really lucky to have loved every speaker, especially Rabbi YY Rubinstein, for his insightful knowledge of Torah and the human condition. He was also really entertaining.” – Lesley Sacks

“What was really impressive was Peter Himmelman’s creativity workshop, where he demonstrated that – contrary to the modern-day perception that tech is ruining real communication – tools such as smartphones can be used to reach out to loved ones in a sincere, meaningful way. I also enjoyed the songwriting session, in which members of the audience composed songs for one another which were then performed impromptu by him and his band.” – Moshe Lichtenstein

“The colour and diversity of the speakers always impress me. This year was no different. Coupled with major improvements to the food – and Jews always need improvement to the food – it made for a soul-satisfying Sinai VII.” – Justin Glickman

“Having studied both meditation and Jewish meditation in the past, one of the fundamental lessons I learned from Rabbi Laibl Wolf is that changing one’s mindset is like learning to play an instrument; it doesn’t happen through studying the theory without the daily practice. I also found the lectures of Esther Wein and Rivka Malka Perlman to be incredibly life-affirming. In general, it was a wonderful treat to have such eclectic Torah wisdom laid on thick!” – Loren Eppel