If the torah fell in my shul I would not even bother fasting. It's an accident for God sake, why get carried away with this nonesense.My father told me, when I was a kid that if I ever
dropped my tefillen I have to fast on that day. I am sure there were a few times when my tefillen slipped out of my hand. I never fasted. Lets see, whats the next fast day we can dispense with.
Avi 06.23.05 - 4:32 pm #
Avi, Fasting after seeing a Torah made to kiss the dirt instead of our lips is a beautiful Jewish idea. Fasting may seem petty to you, but it's the emotions behind the symbolic enactment that speak volumes about fallen volumes. A Jewish man's "confirmation" is his bar mitzvah: it's consummated by a public display of literacy followed by a display of comprehension; layning followed by a drasha. That Jews are literate and deeply respectful of the texts of our heritage is not one of the stupid excesses that frumkeit perpetuates. Rather, it's an attribute of our culture to cherish and be proud of. How many cultures are so deeply wounded by the desecration of the written word? I'm proud that some of this Jewish ideal has bled (sometimes literally) into the surrounding cultures, for the betterment of mankind.
Mis-nagid 06.23.05 - 4:44 pm #
(The title of this post, as you've already deduced, was written by Mis-Nagid)