Siach Boer is a play on words. In traditional Hebrew it indicates the burning bush, where Moses first encountered God; however it can also be translated to mean "burning discussion". This is a peer-led segment of each Rav Siach session, in which participants present issues which are burning in their hearts or minds. These issues can relate to their professional path to the rabbinate, they might arise from a personal experience living in Israel for the year and encountering Israeli society, the issues may relate to the participant’s spiritual journey or consist of any other burning issue he or she would like to share with the rest of the group. This presents a unique possibility to gain insight from a wide range of perspectives outside one’s ordinary frame of reference. While we highly value the sacred space created in the Rav Siach group, we use this space to share some of our thoughts without betraying group confidence. In the near future we hope this will become a virtual space where these conversations can be sustained.
I described the community which I belong to in Modiin, its history, nature and religious character along with my biography and long time affiliation with the Masorti movement. The question I posed to the group is one which I have been struggling with lately namely, is it important for such a community to actively affiliate?
I discussed my personal relationship with my sister and brother in law who live a haredi life style in Lakewood, NJ. I related that once I bought my brother in law, a book by Natan Slifkin that had been put into cherem. We have a good relationship and thought he would appreciate the unique gift.