Post by Cary Friedman on May 3, 2007 12:17:00 GMT -5
The Ohio Jewish Chronicle [March 29, 2007 issue] published one of the best written -- most comprehensive, most insightful -- articles yet about our beloved book [and its author]. Enjoy!
LIVE A SUPER, HEROIC LIFE
Rabbi shares his ‘Wisdom from the Batcave’[/color]
Perhaps it is because of years of persecution and fleeing from one country to survive in another, or perhaps it is due to the idea that one generation stands on the shoulders of the previous one, both of which may have contributed to making education a highly valued pursuit in the Jewish culture.
“Don’t dismiss anything as unimportant. Don’t forego any opportunity to learn more, about any topic. The opportunity to use your knowledge to advantage will certainly present itself,†said Rabbi Cary Friedman in his book, Wisdom from the Batcave: How to Live a Super, Heroic Life.
Wait a second...was that “Batcave†as in “Batman?†And there’s a rabbi who has written a book about how regular, everyday people can live super, heroic lives based on the tales of the comic book hero?
That’s right. And it gets better.
Not only is Friedman an Orthodox rabbi and author, he also is an engineer, teacher, consultant for the FBI and a black belt in Shaolin Gung Fu.
Sounds like this rabbi is a bit of a comic book hero himself, right? Well, that’s partially right.
COMIC BOOK INSPIRATION
Beginning in his Connecticut childhood, like Batman, he worked out to keep his body strong, studied the sciences and held a strong moral compass toward justice and truth.
And, yes, he read comic books as a kid.
“I grew up with a keen awareness that people can be monsters — absolutely inhuman,†said Rabbi Friedman during an interview from his home in New Jersey.
“My mother is a Holocaust survivor and my parents had friends who also were survivors,†he explained. “Some of the stories they told were chilling. They survived their harrowing ordeal through sheer guts, gall or because the Almighty decided to spare them.
“My mother is an extraordinarily kind person. She responded to seeing evil in the world in an unbelievable way. She and my father decided to assert their will on the world to create goodness,†said Rabbi Friedman.
“So the notion that a very powerful resolve can keep a person alive really resonated with me,†he said. “I lived a vicarious kind of experience to the tragedy.â€
Growing up in the 1960s, Rabbi Friedman watched the “Batman†television series starring Adam West. Despite the series’ high camp humor, the young man honed in on the lessons of fighting evil.
“The show definitely influenced me, but the whole humor thing was lost on me,†he said. “I pored over the Batman comic books, collected all sorts of Batman memorabilia and really took it seriously. I started working out and studying the sciences. I knew I would never dress up in a Batman costume, but I would do my part to fight against evil,†he said.
After earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Columbia University, he began working in military electronics divisions for General Electric and then Colt Industries.
“I felt it was a very patriotic profession, so I had no problems philosophically with that,†he said. “But I started thinking that my work should have a larger value than that. After all, in the best case scenario, my work would never be used.
“So, I began thinking about what course I wanted my life to take,†he said. “At the same time, my wife, Marsha, and I were teaching Hebrew and Talmud to high school kids part-time. I realized I was working as an engineer, but I was living for those times when I’d be in the classroomwith the students.â€
Then, about 16 years ago, he heard a scholar-in-residence discuss the role of a “Rav.â€
“The title Rav is etymologically related to another Hebrew word, ‘reev,’ meaning to ‘fight and struggle.’ Thus, the job of a Rav is to fight for goodness and equality and against injustice. A rabbi models that behavior and it is the job of the Jew to fight for what’s right in this world,†he said. “To hear someone articulate that told me that is what I wanted to do.â€
With his wife’s blessing, he went back to school and received his rabbinate from Yeshiva University. Soon afterward, he became a chaplain at Duke University.
INSPIRING OTHERS
“At Duke, I learned how to connect with students in a way that would be engaging. I found that the thing I had hidden my entire life from those outside my immediate family, I could share with the students as a way to identify moral issues and get them to talk about it,†he said.
“I would bring in props, such as my Batman alarm clock and Batman toys, and it would be something silly to get them to laugh and lighten up,†said Rabbi Friedman. “Then I would hand out the paper illustrating the dilemma that Batman had in a certain situation and get them to talk about it.
“Suddenly, the conversation just took off. It was like lighting the afterburners,†he said.
It didn’t take long for his students to request lesson notes. “They told me, ‘You have to write this down,’ and that’s when the idea for the Batman book came about,†said Rabbi Friedman.
So why Batman? Why not Superman or Spiderman or the Incredible Hulk? Because unlike the other super heroes, Batman is the only one to have no super powers, just a refusal to give up, said Rabbi Friedman.
In the book’s introduction, Rabbi Friedman writes, “More importantly, something deeper and much more profound emerges from these comic book stories: transcendent, universal lessons in how to deal with people, battle adversity and become heroes of our own — and even other people’s — lives.â€
In a chapter on “The Value of Anticipating Consequences,†he writes: “[Batman] is simply wise. Asked to define a ‘wise person,’ the Talmud explains that a wise person is one who anticipates consequences and possibilities down the line. ...When the Batman wins, it’s because the battle has been fought and won long before the first punch is ever thrown, with all possibilities and contingencies worked out long before.â€
Other topics in the book’s 18 chapters include, “The Blessing of Family,†“How to Triumph over Adversity,†“Recognizing the Extent of Human Potential,†“The Value of Willpower†and “The Value of Inspiring Others.â€
SPIRITUAL SURVIVAL
Now, fast forward a few years, and Rabbi Friedman is serving as the spiritual leader of Congregation Anshe Chesed in Linden, N.J. He is the guest speaker before a large audience, seated in which is a high-ranking official for the FBI. After the lecture, the official talked with him about teaching at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va.
“He told me about the program at the national academy called Stress Managment in Law Enforcement, which includes a section on spirituality. He said he was impressed by the way I framed my words during the lecture so that they were spiritual, but not overtly religious, and invited me to consider teaching as a consultant at the academy,†said Rabbi Friedman. “I sent him the Batman manuscript and I got the job.â€
He explained that due to the intense pressure and stress of law enforcement, there is a high instance of suicides, divorce, substance abuse, alcoholism and domestic violence. “The job just eats away at them,†he said. “So the academy developed a 10-week program which includes stress management, a component of which is spirituality.â€
Attending one of his classes at the FBI Academy was Sgt. Craig Hungler of the Dublin (Ohio) Police Department.
“Rabbi Friedman has a love for law enforcement that struck me. I told him that there needs to be a book written for cops in a cop kind of language that talks about spiritual, emotional and psychological aspects required for a healthy life,†said Sgt. Hungler during a recent interview with The OJC.
The result of that conversation between the two men was Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement, which was published in 2005; Sgt. Hungler wrote the book’s foreward.
“I like to think of the analogy of a safety net of faith or spirituality. When the job is over, either through retirement, resignation or a critical incident, everything can fall apart in an instant. You need a safety net of a strong faith to catch you. Without that safety net all can seem hopeless, a feeling that can be fatal. You are too important to feel hopeless,†he wrote.
“Each officer has a strength and spirituality to them and the purpose of the book was to help them retain their childlike wonder of being heroic,†said Rabbi Friedman.
Many in law enforcement agreed. On the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the book’s publisher, Compass Books, received an order for 1,000 copies from the New Orleans Police Department.
“The feedback I’ve received in the past 18 months has not only been gratifying, it has made it all worthwhile,†said Rabbi Friedman.
Ironically, it was the law enforcement book that led to the final publication of Wisdom from the Batcave.
“I walked into one of the comic book stores I frequent and the clerk was reading my Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement. When we started talking about the book, he commented ‘Only a comic book guy could have written with this tone.’â€
“I realized that what I was trying to say in the Batman manuscript had a running parallel to the law enforcement book. So I pulled out the manuscript and revived the project,†he said.
Today, Rabbi Friedman works as a scholar-in-residence, speaking at synagogues and yeshivot around the country; teaching in the New Jersey and New York areas for various outreach organizations, such as Gateways and Aish HaTorah and continues his consulting work with law enforcement through organizations such as New Jersey’s “Cop2Cop†program.
His conclusion in his Batman book perhaps describes his life’s work best:
“Traditional Jewish literature is filled with inspirational works which remind me that we are in This World not for our own comfort, but for a larger purpose — to pursue Good and battle Evil. And, of course, the new Batman comic books arrive at the local comic book store on Wednesday morning.â€
Rabbi Friedman may be reached at Cary@BatWisdom.com, where copies of his books also may be purchased.
Kriss Galloway is editor of The OJC.
Thank you, article writer and Chronicle Editor Kriss Galloway!
* * * * * * * * * *
LIVE A SUPER, HEROIC LIFE
Rabbi shares his ‘Wisdom from the Batcave’[/color]
Perhaps it is because of years of persecution and fleeing from one country to survive in another, or perhaps it is due to the idea that one generation stands on the shoulders of the previous one, both of which may have contributed to making education a highly valued pursuit in the Jewish culture.
“Don’t dismiss anything as unimportant. Don’t forego any opportunity to learn more, about any topic. The opportunity to use your knowledge to advantage will certainly present itself,†said Rabbi Cary Friedman in his book, Wisdom from the Batcave: How to Live a Super, Heroic Life.
Wait a second...was that “Batcave†as in “Batman?†And there’s a rabbi who has written a book about how regular, everyday people can live super, heroic lives based on the tales of the comic book hero?
That’s right. And it gets better.
Not only is Friedman an Orthodox rabbi and author, he also is an engineer, teacher, consultant for the FBI and a black belt in Shaolin Gung Fu.
Sounds like this rabbi is a bit of a comic book hero himself, right? Well, that’s partially right.
COMIC BOOK INSPIRATION
Beginning in his Connecticut childhood, like Batman, he worked out to keep his body strong, studied the sciences and held a strong moral compass toward justice and truth.
And, yes, he read comic books as a kid.
“I grew up with a keen awareness that people can be monsters — absolutely inhuman,†said Rabbi Friedman during an interview from his home in New Jersey.
“My mother is a Holocaust survivor and my parents had friends who also were survivors,†he explained. “Some of the stories they told were chilling. They survived their harrowing ordeal through sheer guts, gall or because the Almighty decided to spare them.
“My mother is an extraordinarily kind person. She responded to seeing evil in the world in an unbelievable way. She and my father decided to assert their will on the world to create goodness,†said Rabbi Friedman.
“So the notion that a very powerful resolve can keep a person alive really resonated with me,†he said. “I lived a vicarious kind of experience to the tragedy.â€
Growing up in the 1960s, Rabbi Friedman watched the “Batman†television series starring Adam West. Despite the series’ high camp humor, the young man honed in on the lessons of fighting evil.
“The show definitely influenced me, but the whole humor thing was lost on me,†he said. “I pored over the Batman comic books, collected all sorts of Batman memorabilia and really took it seriously. I started working out and studying the sciences. I knew I would never dress up in a Batman costume, but I would do my part to fight against evil,†he said.
After earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Columbia University, he began working in military electronics divisions for General Electric and then Colt Industries.
“I felt it was a very patriotic profession, so I had no problems philosophically with that,†he said. “But I started thinking that my work should have a larger value than that. After all, in the best case scenario, my work would never be used.
“So, I began thinking about what course I wanted my life to take,†he said. “At the same time, my wife, Marsha, and I were teaching Hebrew and Talmud to high school kids part-time. I realized I was working as an engineer, but I was living for those times when I’d be in the classroomwith the students.â€
Then, about 16 years ago, he heard a scholar-in-residence discuss the role of a “Rav.â€
“The title Rav is etymologically related to another Hebrew word, ‘reev,’ meaning to ‘fight and struggle.’ Thus, the job of a Rav is to fight for goodness and equality and against injustice. A rabbi models that behavior and it is the job of the Jew to fight for what’s right in this world,†he said. “To hear someone articulate that told me that is what I wanted to do.â€
With his wife’s blessing, he went back to school and received his rabbinate from Yeshiva University. Soon afterward, he became a chaplain at Duke University.
INSPIRING OTHERS
“At Duke, I learned how to connect with students in a way that would be engaging. I found that the thing I had hidden my entire life from those outside my immediate family, I could share with the students as a way to identify moral issues and get them to talk about it,†he said.
“I would bring in props, such as my Batman alarm clock and Batman toys, and it would be something silly to get them to laugh and lighten up,†said Rabbi Friedman. “Then I would hand out the paper illustrating the dilemma that Batman had in a certain situation and get them to talk about it.
“Suddenly, the conversation just took off. It was like lighting the afterburners,†he said.
It didn’t take long for his students to request lesson notes. “They told me, ‘You have to write this down,’ and that’s when the idea for the Batman book came about,†said Rabbi Friedman.
So why Batman? Why not Superman or Spiderman or the Incredible Hulk? Because unlike the other super heroes, Batman is the only one to have no super powers, just a refusal to give up, said Rabbi Friedman.
In the book’s introduction, Rabbi Friedman writes, “More importantly, something deeper and much more profound emerges from these comic book stories: transcendent, universal lessons in how to deal with people, battle adversity and become heroes of our own — and even other people’s — lives.â€
In a chapter on “The Value of Anticipating Consequences,†he writes: “[Batman] is simply wise. Asked to define a ‘wise person,’ the Talmud explains that a wise person is one who anticipates consequences and possibilities down the line. ...When the Batman wins, it’s because the battle has been fought and won long before the first punch is ever thrown, with all possibilities and contingencies worked out long before.â€
Other topics in the book’s 18 chapters include, “The Blessing of Family,†“How to Triumph over Adversity,†“Recognizing the Extent of Human Potential,†“The Value of Willpower†and “The Value of Inspiring Others.â€
SPIRITUAL SURVIVAL
Now, fast forward a few years, and Rabbi Friedman is serving as the spiritual leader of Congregation Anshe Chesed in Linden, N.J. He is the guest speaker before a large audience, seated in which is a high-ranking official for the FBI. After the lecture, the official talked with him about teaching at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va.
“He told me about the program at the national academy called Stress Managment in Law Enforcement, which includes a section on spirituality. He said he was impressed by the way I framed my words during the lecture so that they were spiritual, but not overtly religious, and invited me to consider teaching as a consultant at the academy,†said Rabbi Friedman. “I sent him the Batman manuscript and I got the job.â€
He explained that due to the intense pressure and stress of law enforcement, there is a high instance of suicides, divorce, substance abuse, alcoholism and domestic violence. “The job just eats away at them,†he said. “So the academy developed a 10-week program which includes stress management, a component of which is spirituality.â€
Attending one of his classes at the FBI Academy was Sgt. Craig Hungler of the Dublin (Ohio) Police Department.
“Rabbi Friedman has a love for law enforcement that struck me. I told him that there needs to be a book written for cops in a cop kind of language that talks about spiritual, emotional and psychological aspects required for a healthy life,†said Sgt. Hungler during a recent interview with The OJC.
The result of that conversation between the two men was Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement, which was published in 2005; Sgt. Hungler wrote the book’s foreward.
“I like to think of the analogy of a safety net of faith or spirituality. When the job is over, either through retirement, resignation or a critical incident, everything can fall apart in an instant. You need a safety net of a strong faith to catch you. Without that safety net all can seem hopeless, a feeling that can be fatal. You are too important to feel hopeless,†he wrote.
“Each officer has a strength and spirituality to them and the purpose of the book was to help them retain their childlike wonder of being heroic,†said Rabbi Friedman.
Many in law enforcement agreed. On the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the book’s publisher, Compass Books, received an order for 1,000 copies from the New Orleans Police Department.
“The feedback I’ve received in the past 18 months has not only been gratifying, it has made it all worthwhile,†said Rabbi Friedman.
Ironically, it was the law enforcement book that led to the final publication of Wisdom from the Batcave.
“I walked into one of the comic book stores I frequent and the clerk was reading my Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement. When we started talking about the book, he commented ‘Only a comic book guy could have written with this tone.’â€
“I realized that what I was trying to say in the Batman manuscript had a running parallel to the law enforcement book. So I pulled out the manuscript and revived the project,†he said.
Today, Rabbi Friedman works as a scholar-in-residence, speaking at synagogues and yeshivot around the country; teaching in the New Jersey and New York areas for various outreach organizations, such as Gateways and Aish HaTorah and continues his consulting work with law enforcement through organizations such as New Jersey’s “Cop2Cop†program.
His conclusion in his Batman book perhaps describes his life’s work best:
“Traditional Jewish literature is filled with inspirational works which remind me that we are in This World not for our own comfort, but for a larger purpose — to pursue Good and battle Evil. And, of course, the new Batman comic books arrive at the local comic book store on Wednesday morning.â€
Rabbi Friedman may be reached at Cary@BatWisdom.com, where copies of his books also may be purchased.
Kriss Galloway is editor of The OJC.
* * * * * * * * * *
Thank you, article writer and Chronicle Editor Kriss Galloway!