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Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Labels: Israel
Ezra's Sukkos Part 2, or How did he use the arba minim?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Labels: IsraelThough it's not without its own serious problems, I confess a preference for the old, disfavored view of that modern Orthodox thinker from Egypt, who said in his Moreh Nevuchim (3:43) that we take the arba minim to remember the fruits of the land of Israel and the happiness experienced by our ancestors upon emerging from the desert and entering the promised land.
One problem is that if you wish to remember the fruits of Israel, why not take them? The Rambam (there) gives an answer (The items we take instead are easy to find; likely to maintain freshness in way grapes, for example, won't.) A better solution to this question is in Leviticus 23:40, where the plain meaning seems to be that any fruit (or better yet any foliage), from any stately or majestic (fruit) tree, ie etz hadar is acceptable for the fulfillment of the mitzvah.
And, indeed, in the time of Ezra, this appears to be exactly what the people did, taking the branches of olive trees (together with olive branches and oil tree branches and myrtle branches and date branches and branches of thick trees) in fulfillment of Leviticus 23:40.
Here's the passage:
"And they found written in the Torah that YHWH commanded through Moses that the Children of Israel dwell in Booths (Succoth) in the Seventh month. And concerning that which they heard [in the public reading] they passed a voice through all their cities and Jerusalem saying 'Go out to the mountain and bring olive branches and oil tree branches and myrtle branches and date branches and branches of thick trees to make booths, as it is written.' And the people went out and they brought and they made for themselves booths, each man on his roof and in their courtyards and in the courtyard of the House of God and in the broad areas of the Water Gate and the broad areas of Ephraim Gate."or in Hebrew
וַֽיִּמְצְא֖וּ כָּת֣וּב בַּתֹּורָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֲשֶׁר֩ יֵשְׁב֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל בַּסֻּכֹּ֛ות בֶּחָ֖ג בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי׃Notice something else? According to this passage the four species mentioned in Leviticus were used as materials for building a Succah. Note that according to Neh 8:15 using the four species to build a Succah is what is required because "it is written". In other words, when the people read Lev 23:40 they understood it to be commanding the taking of the "four species" for the purpose of building Succot. To this day, Samritans do just this, building their Succot from fruit and palm fronds. See here. Later Chazal would interpret Leviticus differently, and rule that we're to take the four species and wave them around, but Ezra's interpretation seems at least as reasonable, and it does have more support in the text.
וַאֲשֶׁ֣ר יַשְׁמִ֗יעוּ וְיַעֲבִ֨ירוּ קֹ֥ול בְּכָל־עָרֵיהֶם֮ וּבִירוּשָׁלִַ֣ם לֵאמֹר֒ צְא֣וּ הָהָ֗ר וְהָבִ֙יאוּ֙ עֲלֵי־זַ֙יִת֙ וַעֲלֵי־עֵ֣ץ שֶׁ֔מֶן וַעֲלֵ֤י הֲדַס֙ וַעֲלֵ֣י תְמָרִ֔ים וַעֲלֵ֖י עֵ֣ץ עָבֹ֑ת לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת סֻכֹּ֖ת כַּכָּתֽוּב׃
וַיֵּצְא֣וּ הָעָם֮ וַיָּבִיאוּ֒ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ֩ לָהֶ֨ם סֻכֹּ֜ות אִ֤ישׁ עַל־גַּגֹּו֙ וּבְחַצְרֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם וּבְחַצְרֹ֖ות בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וּבִרְחֹוב֙ שַׁ֣עַר הַמַּ֔יִם וּבִרְחֹ֖וב שַׁ֥עַר אֶפְרָֽיִם׃
וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֣וּ כָֽל־הַ֠קָּהָל הַשָּׁבִ֨ים מִן־הַשְּׁבִ֥י ׀ סֻכֹּות֮ וַיֵּשְׁב֣וּ בַסֻּכֹּות֒ כִּ֣י לֹֽא־עָשׂ֡וּ מִימֵי֩ יֵשׁ֨וּעַ בִּן־נ֥וּן כֵּן֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עַ֖ד הַיֹּ֣ום הַה֑וּא וַתְּהִ֥י שִׂמְחָ֖ה גְּדֹולָ֥ה מְאֹֽד׃
More: Josh Waxman has a series of posts on Nehemia 8:13-18 and how the four species are understood there.You can read them here, here, and here.
Search for more information about [topic] at 4torah.com.
Ezra's Sukkos Part 1
Labels: Israel
After Ezra publicly reads from the "book of the law of Moses" we're told that the people "found written in the law... that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month."
Nehemiah 8 continues:
So, the people went forth, and brought [olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees] and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness
How should the concientious and believing Jew understand these verses? There are at least three approaches.
See them after the jump
Chag Rishon rundown
Monday, September 27, 2010
Labels: IsraelFinish times: (all days started at 9)
Day 1: noon
Day 2: noon-ish
Shabbos: noon-ish
Reason for late finishes
Day 1: Yotzros
Day 2: Yotzros
Day 3: Koheles and the halel that never ends, it just went on and on my friends.
Neighborhood sukka hopping? No.
Rain delays? None
All Songs of Ascent recited at the Simchas bes Hashoeva? Yes
Meat at every meal? Are you kidding? [Note to scolds: Some achronim say meat is NOT required as meat in our day doesn't produce "simcha"]
Chol Hamoed Outings: The Soundtrack
A Guest Post By E. Fink
For your typical frum family, Chol Hamoed is a time for family outings. (Check out this picture I took of our son on Venice Beach 150 steps away from my Shul.) When the whole family gets together in the car, some disagreements about music can ensue. I am the oldest of seven and my musical tastes matured earlier than that of my younger siblings (obviously) so when they wanted Uncle Moishy, I wanted MBD or Dveykus. Then we got the Marvelous Middos Machine. This was a great compromise because the songs were Abie Rottenberg songs, the story was entertaining for the younger children and the message was wholesome enough that we were (hopefully) learning something during the trip.
When our older son was old enough to understand the story we got all three MMM CDs for him (and us). He loved them and now that he is 7, he appreciates them even more while the almost 2 year old enjoys the music as well. Win / Win!
I recommend MMM for your family. The songs are good enough, the characters are funny enough and the lessons positive enough for everyone. The middos that the songs teach are important. (Not to get angry, not to take revenge, treat animals nicely, not to be greedy, respect your parents, ahavas Yisrael etc. among many others.)
However, listening to the CDs with a critical ear does raise the issue of some pernicious messages. For example, the MMM has a massive satellite on the roof of the home of Dr. Middos. He gets busted for not having a license ("A license? I didn't know I needed a license!?) But instead of requiring the good Doctor to get a license, the officer witnesses a Middos Alert and upon seeing how amazing the MMM is, he grants Dr. Middos a pardon and says that if anyone gives him any trouble - send him to me. Dr. Middos gets off the hook. There is no citation and now he doesn't even need a license. I can't help but think that this a subtle, but wrong message about how some frum people deal with the law and its enforcement. It's almost as if we are doing something so important that the laws don't apply to us... which of course is not the case.
In the end, Dr. Middos was pardoned and was in compliance with the law. It just makes me a little uneasy that Dr. Middos didn't just get the license...
Of course, listening to CDs that were recorded 25 years ago have many funny anachronisms that your kids will not understand and will make you chuckle. (Remember Construx?)
So if you're ears are bleeding from too much Country Yossi and Shmuel Kunda (generally silly CDs with little meaningful content) go and get the Marvelous Middos Machine and enjoy...!
(This was totally not a paid advertisement - just a friendly recommendation)
Search for more information about the Marvelous Middos Machine at 4torah.com.
Search for more information about the Marvelous Middos Machine at 4torah.com.
TDS pokes out Obama's eye. Again.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Labels: IsraelLast night, TDS destroyed Barak Obama yet again... just like how the FOX shows used to destroy GWB back in the day... Oh... wait
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I also like how a real, unscreened, unprepared person was permitted to directly challange the president on TV at the Town Hall meeting. This is also exactly like how things went at those GWB town halls back in the day.... Oh... wait.
Search for more information about the difference between integrity and RW conservative commentary at 4torah.com.
Shopping for esrogim, Ushpizin, &c
Labels: Israel
I'm starting to think this whole esrog thing is a scam. Have you noticed they all look the same? Sure some are straighter, or cleaner, or more yellow, or more green than others, but for the most part there are minor differences. Yet, these minor differences can add upwards of $75 to the price. I can't understand it. In fact, I've been buying esrogim for year, and I always get the one that looks nicest to me. Some years, the most gorgeous esrog (again, to me) costs $20; sometimes it costs $75. What's the difference? I have no idea. In each case, I'm buying the one I like best.
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Speaking of Ushpizon here's a great collection of clips from the movie (below). The lip-synching woman gets me every time, though in general, I find it hard to relate to people as intensely emotional as the Bellanga couple (watch the clip to see what I mean). Don't get me wrong. I'm not judging such people. It's how they are, and that's fine. I just take issue with the widely held belief that there's something more authentic, or more deeply religious, or more honest, or more legitimately spiritual, about that particular personality type. I accept that King David was the sort to go around "leaping and whirling before the Lord.” [(II Sam. 6:16)] But that's not me, and there has to be room in Judaism for both types.
Ok, you may be asking, what about the requirement to "be happy." Surely, that's God telling you how to feel, right? Well not so fast. The verse is question says "וְהָיִ֖יתָ אַ֥ךְ שָׂמֵֽח" and most translate this as "you should be really happy." Samson Rephael Hirsch takes it differently
In my humble opinion, this explanation is to be interpreted as follows, in terms of the context of what precedes it: The waste left over from your threshing floor and vats is used to make the booths for your festival. In these nomadic booths you experience the joy of national elation with your entire household, in your settlements. Moreover, during the period of ingathering you leave the field and vineyard, the threshing floor and vat, and you meld with the national gathering that assembles at the Lord’s Temple, at His chosen place, for the source of your blessedness and joy is not in your settlements, your fields and vineyards, your threshing floor and vats; rather, it is the Lord your G-d Who bestows this bountiful blessing on you from the place of His Torah and through the means of His Teaching, if you dwell in His tent faithfully. This adherence to the Lord and His Teaching, not the city and field, nor the threshing floor and vat, is what gives you joy, and your joy shall be such as to fulfill the words, “you shall having nothing but joy.”You shall have nothing but joy. This, I think, a better description of the original Sukkot experience. The crops are in, and you're in the very best position of the year: There's no heavy work to do, your money for the year has been made, and you've got plenty of food in storage. All you have is joy.
Things I wonder while waiting in line at the stationary store
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Labels: Israel
Suppose we took the Koran and printed in on paper such as the kind depicted at left.
And then suppose we took our Koran printed on flag paper and burnt it.
Who'd go more medieval? The Muslims or the Palin People?
How prophecy works today
Labels: Israel
Seems a crazy preacher woman who writes for Renew America, the important conservative web site, saw a scorpion crawl out from under one of her five (!) broken down cars, and thinks this absolutely, totally, must have meant something important. So she prayed on it, and came back with something weapons grade insane:
If America had remained with God, we would not be weak and facing Islam. Allah is nothing. God is everything. If you don't know Him, I pray there is still time to seek Him while you can.Here's Wikipedia: Allah (Arabic: الله Allāh, IPA: [ʔalˤːɑːh] ( listen)) is the standard Arabic name for God. While the term is best known in the West for its use by Muslims as a reference to God, it is used by Arabs of all Abrahamic faiths, including Mizrahi Jews, Bahá'ís and Eastern Orthodox Christians, in reference to God..
Secrets of Jewish cooking
Labels: Israel
I like the food shows, and one of the best is Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. Each episode features Guy showing up at some hole-in-the-wall to sample the house specialty. Usually, he likes it, and indicates his pleasure with exaggerated facial expressions, moaning, and deep breathing. (I call the genre "food porn" for a reason.) The other night, Guy was in some dirty diner, located in Armpit, America eating scrapple.
Briefly, you make scrapple out of leftover scraps. [Unless it was first made by some guy named Scrapple, I presume that's the origin of the dish's name.] Start by tossing pork bones into a pot of hot water. After they've boiled for a while, remove the meat and puree it. Add some cornmeal to this disgusting slurry, and bake the whole, reeking, mess until firm. That's scrapple. Judging from how Guy's eyeballs bulged, he liked it. I thought the whole thing looked horrible, so of course I got on the phone to tell people about it.
The first person I called, shared my disgust. The next, pointed out something interesting. "That's pretty much how you make gefilte fish"
And of course he was right.
Search for more information about so-called Jewish delicacies that are really peasant food at 4torah.com.
Going Back Home For Yom Kippur
A Guest Post By E. Fink
This post was written by my Father in Law, Shimon Pepper. My Father in Law was raised in a traditional Jewish home, not a very religious home like the religious home in which he raised his children. He went back to the synagogue of his youth for Yom Kippur this year.
His experience was inspiring and the account of his experience is beautiful and important.
I recently spoke at a High School orientation and urged the students to “Listen to your messages” especially during the Yom Noraim (the high holiday period). So when a random text message arrived on my BlackBerry with the following message: “A Few Men needed to help ensure a Minyan in Fall River Massachusetts”, I was eager to respond. While I live in the culturally rich community of Monsey, New York with three Shuls on my block and almost 60 Jewish Schools, I was born and raised in Fall River. When I was growing up in the 1950′s and 60′s there were around 3000 Jews out of a population of close to 100,000 people. Today the Jewish Community has dwindled dramatically through outmigration, assimilation, and aging.
For me this was a unique opportunity to give back to my community in some small way and to help the shul that helped me and shaped much of my personal history. In this shul, I first learned “Alef Bais” and Mishnayos, (with Rabbi Lipschutz and Chazan Schneider) and even delivered my first complete Haftorah (which ironically enough was Maftir Yonah – which I chanted again on this Yom Kippur). More than these “activities”, the Adas Israel Shul gave me memories: memories of my zaydie and bubby whose hybrid European and American cultures provided me with a glimpse and a small anchor back to the old country (Belarus circa 1910). It gave me memories of the years I attended services on Erev Pesach with my uncle with whom I shared the distinct merit of being a “first born son”; the memory of pleasantly surprising my parents on one Neilah afternoon by making certain that despite the fact that I was a “1960′s college student” I was not going to forsake the precious moment when G-d opened up the gates of repentance; and my Aufruf held in the very same Shul – more than 36 years ago.
These thoughts raced through me as I headed North from New York to Providence on Route 95, and then 20 miles East over the bridge to Fall River on Route 195.
I was also motivated to go because I had recently learned that the Shul was up for sale. After all, how could the 70 remaining members, most of whom were in their 80′s maintain the synagogue. Minyanim were harder and harder to come by even on Shabbosim. Even on Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur. I felt as Avrohom Fried sings about Moshiach, “Now’s the Time”.
I spent 26 magical hours in the shul. In fact, from 6:00 PM Erev Yom Kippur until after Shofar blowing, at 8:15 PM the next evening, I remained inside the building. I even slept in the shul on an air mattress which the visiting chazan had brought from New Jersey.
I had five significant reactions during my experience.
Gratitude: I most profoundly felt gratitude and humility that the Kadosh Baruch Hu had provided me with a “GPS which recalculated my direction” and put my family and me on the right roads. After all, the five little Peppers had all grown up here in Fall River and today, Baruch Hashem each of us have families (spouses, children, and grandchildren) who are fully committed frum Jews.
Sadness: As I entered the sanctuary I had a visceral reaction to the brightness. The shul was lit up. There were 1155 names on the nine memorial plaques which illuminated the shul. Yet there were just 16 men and less than 20 women at the height of attendance on Yom Kippur. I thought and actually hummed the following:
Where have all the children gone long time passing?
Where have all the yidden gone long time ago?
Gone to places everywhere but most about their Judaism they are unaware?
When will they ever learn? How can they can they recognize that they must learn?
Family Pride: Of the 30 people present, about one third were family members. While these children and offspring of my Uncle Zack had only received the same rudimentary Hebrew school education that most young people in New England get (as did I), these cousins have worked tirelessly to keep the shul alive and to breath a little Jewish life into the community. I felt the concept of the Pintele Yid in action.
Confused: In Monsey and in other well developed communities, Jews have labels for each other: FFB, BT, ashkenazi and sepharedi, Litvish and chasidish, Frum, Frei, the list goes on. In Fall River there we no labels. Just the Jewish children, of Avraham, Yitzchok ,and Yaakov. While not technically very religious or observant, these Jews showed reverence during the service. They didn’t talk during prayers and stood throughout neila as the holy ark was opened.
Responsibility: The Yom Kippur experience gave me a renewed sense of Jewish Ownership: the world was created for me and that which I do matters. I chanted along with the chain, conversed with everyone during the breaks, and felt that my tefillos and those of my Fall River brothers and sisters were inextricably connected.
This was a most profound Yom Tov for me, one which allowed me to remember the past, live the present, and trust the future. I felt a connection from generation to generation and I felt the renewed sense of responsibility that all Jews are responsible for one another and that indeed we are one people with a single destiny.
Am Yisroel Chai.
- Shimon Pepper, September 2010.
Search for more information about going back home at 4torah.com.
Ne'ilah Shofar in Mandate Palestine
Friday, September 17, 2010
Labels: IsraelClick below to watch a short documentary about some Jewish teenagers who defied British policemen to blow the shofar at the conclusion of Yom Kippur in Mandate days.
Their story is interesting in the extreme, though I'm not convinced it was worth the risk or the effort. Blowing shofar at the end of Yom Kippur is deeply significant, of course, but its it required by Jewish law? Are we to put ourselves at risk to do it? Or does the symbolic value of performing this rite at the Kotel, and sticking a finger, so to speak, in the eyes of the Mandatory authorities, outweigh everything?
Are there parallels between the inspiring acts of defiance depicted here and the attempts made in our day by Jewish women to read the Torah or to pray as a congregation at the kotel? In 1930 the British arrested shofar blowing Jews at the kotel; today the Israelis arrests Torah reading women there: Is this analogous? I don't know, but what seems an unmistakable theme of this video is an idea propagated by men like Malcom X: Talk takes you only so far. No one really respects you until you take action and stand up for yourself.
Search for more information about Jewish courage at 4torah.com.
A Yom Kippur Appeal (That Won’t Cost you a Penny)
Labels: Israel
A Yom Kippur Appeal (That Won’t Cost you a Penny)
By: Rabbi Yakov Horowitz
Many of the kids my colleagues and I work with all year long return to shul for Yom Kippur – even though they may no longer be observant. Often, their dress and overall appearance are at odds with the standards of our community and they may be standing at the outer edge of the shul.
On their behalf, I humbly appeal to you to reach out to them warmly and welcome them back. Please don’t comment on their appearance or how long they have been away. (I don’t mean to be negative Erev Yom Kippur, but so many of the kids tell me that well-intentioned, decent people ‘kibbitz’ with them about the length of their absence or their clothing – and how deeply hurt they are by that.)
Don’t misread their discomfort as disrespect and their tentativeness as a lack of commitment. Just walk over to him/her and tell them how nice it is to see them. Invite them to sit next to you – and permit them the space to turn down your invitation. I assure you that whether or not they accept it; they will be grateful to you for your unconditional acceptance. (I ask that you take a few minutes and read the last few paragraphs of the column below which I published in Mishpacha Magazine a few years back about a similar encounter in a shul that took place thirty years ago.)
As we will soon read in the beautiful and haunting Tefilla Zakka of Rabbi Avraham Danzig before Kol Nidrei this evening, “Avinu Malkeinu, rachem aleinu k’rachem av al b’noi shemarad b’aviv ……”
“Our Father and King, have mercy on us as a father has mercy on his son who rebelled against him and left his home; [and] when he returns to his father with shame and tears, it is the nature of the father to have mercy on his son.”
In the zechus of us welcoming our wayward children back home with open arms, so too, shall Hashem envelope us in His welcoming embrace and grant us a year filled with fulfillment, joy and happiness.
Best wishes for a G’mar Chasima Tova
Yakov Horowitz
Search for more information about obvious things that for some reason we still need to say at 4torah.com.
More Kol Nidrei Experiences
Labels: Israel
Three more Kol Nidre experiences have been added (in the comments) to the five I posted yesterday. I find this fascinating, and encourage you to add your own.
Search for more information about how we're alike, and how we're different at 4torah.com.
Wishing You a Successful Yom Kippur
A Guest Post By E. Fink
Please be mochel me if I offended you in any way. You have nothing to worry about on my end.
I put this video together for today's post. It is a video of of one the most inspiring Jewish songs I have heard.
Please enjoy and have a successful Yom Kippur.
- E. Fink
A 3/4 defense of piyutim
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Labels: IsraelI put up versions of this post every year. The first one appeared on October 7, 2005. Then I was completely in favor of piyutim, and had no patience or sympathy for anyone who thought differently. You might say I was a snob. Today, I still think piyutim are wonderful, but agree that if most people find them uninspiring we should remove them from the service, instead of playing make believe.
Isn't it odd that the frum thing to do nowadays is to complain about the High Holiday piyutim Some say they are boring, others argue they should be dropped from the service. I hear it in yeshivish shuls. I hear it in shtiebles, too. And the evidence of my own eyes is incontrovertible. Everywhere I go, I see men who self-identify as very frum, or as utterly and completely "Torah True", ignoring the piyutim. None of this makes any sense to me. Also confusing is the claim, often heard and often repeated, that davening is not a show.
I don't think the composers of the piyutim would agree.
Aside from the silent Amidah, which was set aside for silent reflections and meditations, and the Torah reading, the tefillah was designed to sweep you up in the mood, a mood that is set by the liturgical readings (piyutim) and the sacred music (chazanut.) Every so often, you are called to participate in the pageant - during modim at oleinu, for example, or during the avoda when everyone becomes an actor in the events the Reader is describing. The piyutim were (for the most part) written as introductions to the avoda, to oleinu, and to vidui, and they were designed (for the most part) expressly to create a mood, or to warm you up, so to speak, for the key parts of the service.
The strange, new idea that you're supposed to sit with your forehead scrunched in rapt concentration for the full service would be foreign to the men who composed the tefillah, imho. To some extent, they designed tefillah not only to be enjoyed, but to be experienced. The philistine complaining about music and poetry I hear every year sounds a lot like the griping you get when you accompany a small child to the symphony or the opera.
And that analogy about the opera is meant to work on many levels because I believe the piyutim need to be appreciated as art. What else did those who elected to include them in the davening expect us to do with them? They're not magic spells, or kabbalistic formulas. They're poems that are meant to be appreciated as poems, and that are meant to have the affect on you that is accomplished by all good poetry.
If a poem doesn't mean anything to you - especially a poem that the Rabbis thought appropriate for Yom Kippur davening - perhaps you owe it to yourself to find out what you are missing? And if the cause is lost, and we're simply not capable anymore of appreciating this particular art form, why don't we admit defeat, face reality, and remove the piyutim from the service? Here's another analogy: Shul architecture. When the money is available, we construct sacred space that we find significant, rather then employing the forms and styles our ancestors would have appreciated. We no longer ask shul-goers to sit in dimly-lit Gothic interiors, nor do we expect anyone to spend the day staring at a crazily-elaborate Baroque aron kodesh. These styles have been phased out, because they no longer work, by which I mean we no longer find them inspiring or significant. If the consensus is that piyutim no longer work, perhaps this style of liturgy should be phased out as well.
Search for more information about piyutim at 4torah.com.
In which the naked, unrehabilitated biases of Fox News are once again exposed
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Labels: IsraelNoteworthy moments in this clip:
(1) Before bashing FOX, Jon first takes a shot at MSNBC
(2) The little story comfortable conservatives tell about how people only object to THAT PARTICULAR mosque in THAT PARTICULAR location, and not mosques, Muslims or Islam in general is once again shown to be a baldfaced lie.
(2) The little story comfortable conservatives tell about how people only object to THAT PARTICULAR mosque in THAT PARTICULAR location, and not mosques, Muslims or Islam in general is once again shown to be a baldfaced lie.
(3) The (lame) Torah joke (Honestly, its not really a joke.)
(4) The clip includes the segment from CNN in which the Iman essentially debunks every lie conservatives tell about him. Specifically, he denounces Hamas, and says he won't take money from any questionable sources. Does Fox care? What do you think?
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Islamophobiapalooza | ||||
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Argument of the Millennium
Monday, September 13, 2010
Labels: Israel |
| Which is the bonobo and which is Megan McCardle? |
For example, like a lot of evolutionary biology critiques, this one leans heavily on bonobos (at least so far). Here’s the thing: humans aren’t like bonobos. And do you know how I know that we are not like bonobos? Because we're not like bonobos. [Emphasis SIC]Now that is some flashy and skillful arguing. Do you think I might get a prestigious gig blogging for one of the best magazines in the country if I start "proving" my points by repeating my points using italics?
Signs, Omens and Portents
Labels: Israel
The original post:
It has been said that omens are of significance; therefore, one should make a regular habit of eating, at the beginning of the year, guord, fenugreek, leek, beet and dates [as these grow in profussion and are symbolic of prosperity... (Horayot 12a)
Some other suggestions:
Let it be Your will, O' Lord our God, the God of our ancestors...
olive
...that we all live in harmony.
Crown Royal
...that we rise to every occasion.
Strawberry/raspberry/blueberry
...that our evil inclination be buried.
peach
...that accusations against us be impeached.
peas
...that we enjoy peace.
fig
...that we figure out what you want from us
Zuchini
...that our enemies be squashed
Celeries and raisons
...that we all receive a raise in salary
Reader suggestions 2006
you should eat a lot of corn to match these corny joke (Rare Find)
kirby - curbed be your dog
pear - may you find it easy to find a clean pair of underpants every morning
parsnip - may your bris not be too short, nor too long
beet - may the beat go on, bro'
eggs - eggsellent source of B12 vitamins
bacon - may everything you put in your over bake on
Shevach - on your children, not on your dinner plate
black eyed peas - good music (Endless Silliness)
beets- may we beat our enemies
carrots- may our enemies be hit by cars, or may they rot (Avi Grossman)
Tuna so that our orchestras will be neither flat nor sharp. (priss)
We take several varities of deli meat and make a yehi ratzon that we should only see besuros (basaros) tovos. (Voice of Reason)
Reader suggestions 2009
Pis-tachois ...That we may have better urine flow.
Honey ...That we may get along with our spouse.
Plums ...That we may plumb the mysteries of our Torah.
Carobs ...That we may win a vacation for two in the Caribbian.
Beets ...That we may stop beating our wives. (letz)
Broccoli -- she-t'hei bracha li (tesyaa)
Ratatouille - that we don't rat on our colleagues (esp good for Republicans ;))
Kishke - that we get mixed up round non-Jewish girls
Kashe - that we get to ask our Rov lots of questions and/or that we stop accepting cheques and credit cards
Martini - that our (Yiddishe) mother loses weight in the coming year
Borekas - that we work hard (SM)
Sour sticks- our enemies should have a sour year
Laffy Taffy-we should have a yr full of laughs (YC's kids)
Mango: May our enemies be mangled.
Osem Bisli: May we all have an "awesome" year. (Jameel)
Pickles ...the we should conquer the entire Land of Israel (Lurker)
Cake... so that our work may be as easy as cake.
Smarties... so that we will grow more intelligent this year.
Reeses... so that our arguments may have more reason.
Skittles... so that we may become better in our work.
Kudos... so that we may get credit for the work that we do.
Pocky... so that we can put our problems into our pockets like our presidents tend to.
PayDay... so that they may be larger.
If you're not one of the rich Jewish power elite: 100 Grand... so that we may become one of the rich Jewish power elite.
If you are a single straight female or a single gay male: Mr. Goodbar... self-explanatory.
If you are a single straight male or a single gay female: Hershey... figure it out.
If you are pregnant: Milky Way... self-explanatory.
Likewise, one should refrain from:
Snickers... as it will encourage lashon hara.
M&Ms... as they will encourage our children to listen to violent music.
Butterfinger... as they will encourage us to steal.
Buttons... as they will encourage us to gain weight. (Author's Note: As though all of this candy won't make us gain weight anyway.)
Peeps... as they will encourage us to look at other people as sexual objects rather than human beings.
NutRageous... as they will encourage us to insanity.
Wonka Bar... as they will encourage us to sexual immorality. (kari)
Lettuce: Let us see the light of Moshiach soon. (Garnel Ironheart)
Search for more information about Jewish puns at 4torah.com.
Why I (E. Fink) Won't Be Waving a Chicken Over My Head This Week
A Guest Post By E. Fink
For hundreds of years, rabbis have been trying to ban kaparos. The Rashba, the Ramban, the Bais Yosef and more recently, the Aruch Hashulchan all wanted to ban kaparos. Some did, and no one listened, others did not because they knew no one would listen.
Classically, the primary halachic objections to kaparos are the issue of "darkei Emori" (pagan ritual) and the likelihood of flawed shechita due to the high volume of chickens being shechted in a short amount of time.
Kaparos lives on. In fact kaparos with chickens has only increased in popularity in my lifetime.
I think it is time to end the kaparos with chickens custom. Here is why:
- Many smart rabbis have tried to ban the practice already. (see above for the two primary reasons - pagan / bad shechita)
- When the great rabbis of yore try to ban a practice and the PEOPLE are persistent... I am suspicious.
- The "reasons" given to justify kaparos are purely kabbalistic and have no other source in nigleh.
- It appears like magic.
- Saying the formula of "zeh tmurasi" while holding an animal is an activity that is dangerously close to acting as if the chicken is a korban. That is assur.
- Money is just as "effective".
- The treatment of the animals before, after and during is often tzaar baalei chaim. Chickens were found wandering the streets of Brooklyn one year after a rain forced the organizers indoors and the chickens were neglected. The unlucky chickens drowned in their cages.
- The HUGE chillul Hashem that has occurred in many locations over the last few years. Chickens dying from dehydration, feces and feathers on the street for days after Yom Kippur and other health violations as well.
- It looks pagan. Thus it makes Orthodox Judaism look pagan in the eyes of others. This might also qualify as a chillul Hashem.
- A diyuk in the Aruch Hashulchan (605:4). Why do we need a diyuk? Because some people don't use common sense (1-8) unless there is a "source" in a relied upon halachic decisor. So for them...
Here is my diyuk:
"(Use the chicken that you use for kaparos for your erev Yom Kippur meal or to provide a meal for a poor person.) One is not permitted to search for a WHITE chicken to use for kaparos. This is avoda zara. Whatever one has on hand is what they should use for kaparos."
I think it is fair to say that the Aruch Hashulchan is saying that people were shechting a chicken for the seudah anyway (the same way they would if they would shecht a chicken for any festive meal), they were using a chicken from the backyard. Everyone had chickens that they would use for eggs and eventually for meat, if they wanted to use one of those chickens for kaparos it was okay. However, it was not permissible to seek out a specific chicken (like a white chicken). One was only supposed to use what was on hand.
I think it is likely that the Aruch Hashulchan would prohibit using ANY chickens today when we are ALL seeking a specific chicken as none of us have chickens on hand. The idea was that if you were already shechting a chicken you could add some extra meaning to the procedure by contemplating the irony of the situation. As you were heading to judgment, you were killing a chicken. But for us, who never touch chickens (unless we are shlugging kaparos) are in effect doing just what the Aruch Hashulchan prohibits - seeking after a chicken for kaparos.
There ya go. I don't wave chickens and neither should you.
Search for more information about pagan customs in Judaism at 4torah.com.
Time Magazine's Nice Article on Israel
A Guest Post by E. Fink
Time Magazine's September 13th cover article is called "Why Israel Doesn't Care About Peace".
Unlike some other bloggers, I have actually read the article, not just the excerpt or the headline.
It is an unfortunate title for an article. Unfortunate because it has set off a firestorm of condemnation and consternation from Israel lovers everywhere. But even more unfortunate because the title is betrayed by the actual article.
The article is not about why Israel doesn't care about peace. The article is about why Israeli citizens are not obsessed with peace.
And that is a compliment.
That is a good thing.
The article blames the Palestinian leadership for failing to agree to several peace deals. The moderate Palestinians are praised but the article does not express hope that they will survive. The article justifies the "Wall" as a necessary security measure and the Gaza Incursion as a necessary military operation. These two controversial moves have borne fruit - no suicide attacks in over 2 years and until the August 31 shooting that killed 4 people, no deaths of more than 2 people from any attack in over 2 years. In short, Israel has successfully quashed the insurgence of violence that began with the second intifada.
What has happened as a result of the relative peace in Israel? Israelis have been industrious. They have been working hard and accumulating wealth. They have been inventing things and contributing to the world economy. They have been building families, taking vacations and enjoying life. They have been acting as if they don't live in a war-zone because for the last few years they haven't.
The article indicates that Israelis are happy with the way things are. And they should be.
The article assumes that if there were a peace partner that was willing to recognize Israel as a State and provide the same types of freedoms as Israel provides there would be more talk about peace. But as it stands now, Palestinians are led by politicians who don't want to negotiate with Israel seriously and since the violence is under control, there is no reason to discuss anything.
The article concludes the Palestinian issue by saying that Palestinians need to make themselves heard again. How? With violence? Absolutely not. By giving a voice to the moderates who want to talk to Israel. Who can argue with that?
There is no mention of a "Humanitarian Crisis" in Gaza. There is no mention of "War Crimes". There is no mention of "Disproportionate Response". No mention of "Illegal Settlements". The article is favorable to Israel. No question about it.
I have two and a half minor gripes with the article.
1) The article kind of glosses over the rocket attacks. Those are not negligible and the fear of attack is worth noting.
2) The article says almost no Palestinians are allowed into Israel. As far as I know that is inaccurate.
3) (only half a gripe) The title is provocative - but then again, headlines are meant to grab attention. This one grabbed everyone's attention. So maybe it was a good title.
But I have two major gripes with Israel friends who lambasted the article.
1) I always hear from Zionist friends that "It is so good here", "It's more dangerous in America", "The economy is booming", "Israel is a Western State", etc. And now, Time Magazine is reporting that yes, Israel is in fact a peaceful, productive place and somehow that is not allowed?! Talk about "Double Standard".
2) People should just read the darn thing before complaining about it! There are times where Israel is treated poorly in the court of popular opinion. This is NOT one of those times! We lose credibility if we cry "Wolf" any time we can sniff a trace of anti-Israel sentiment. Here, you'll need to sniff extra hard.
Search for more information about philo-semitism in the media at 4torah.com.
High heels and the Rosh Hashana Musaf
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Labels: IsraelRequired Housekeeping First
We finished at 2:15 p.m on the first day and at 2:00 p.m. on the second day. I thought this was abysmally slow. My son blames the chazan, I blame the pre-shofar kiddush and the aliya auction, neither of which I have a bit of use for.
How'd you do?
--
I have interesting Rosh Hashana thoughts to share, but for now something mundane.
If you daven nusach ashkenaz your musaf silent Amidah takes forever. The reason is simple: this is a very long prayer -- some twenty pages in my machzor. But if you daven nusach sefard, the same prayer takes two forevers and three days. This is because sefard congregations sound the shofer at three points during the silent Amidah,at the end of various sections, and the blower of the shofar does not sound it until it appears to him that most of the congregation has concluded the respective section. Meantime, people who pray quickly must wait, standing silently in place until the shofar is sounded.
Now, try doing this in high heels.
My wife was not one of them, but she reports that more than one woman wearing high heels "just gave up and sat down." Her account continues: "They stood up again for [the sounding of the] shofar, prayed until the end of the next section, then sat down again to wait."
I wonder what - if anything - the law codes have to say about this.
Search for more information about fasion at 4torah.com.
Labels: Israel
Shimi noh rabosei, dayanim, mumchim:
In the last year, I have from time to time posted articles on my blog, sent emails, distributed instant messages, and sent tweets, some of which I typed myself, some of which I forwarded, some of which I found myself, some of which I was given by other people. Should you have found any of these messages annoying, offensive, ignorant or upsetting, I ask that they should be deleted and forgotten
I hereby declare that for the coming year, should I again offer such posts, emails, instant messages, or tweets they should have no effect and not become binding on me. At this moment I regret any of these and do not wish them to be valid.
May you be blessed with a good year, inscribed in the book of life and sealed for good.
Search for more information about Hataras Nedarim 2010 at 4torah.com.
Shofar Blowing in Yavneh
Labels: Israel
In Temple times, the shofer was blown on shabbos, but only within the vicinity of the Temple itself. Following the destruction, and the exile of the Sages to Yavneh, some thought the practice of blowing the shofar on Shabbos should be discontinued. R. Yochanan b. Zackai disagreed, and as the story is told in Tractate Rosh Hashana, he used an unorthodox ploy to win the point
On the first post-destruction Shabbos Rosh Hashana , the masses of ordinary people came to Yavneh expecting to hear the shofar. R. Yochanan b. Zackai was presiding. "Blow the shofar," he said.
"Well, hold on," replied the other Sages. "We need to talk this over and make a decision."
"The people are here and waiting," answered R. Yochanan b. Zackai "Blow now, and we'll discuss it afterwards."
The other Sages agreed and the shofar was sounded.
Afterwards, they said, "Let's discuss how this will be handled the next time Rosh Hashana and Shabbos coincide."
Replied R. Yochanan b. Zackai: "The shofar has already been sounded in Yavnah! If we discontinue the practive the people will think we made a mistake. They will come to doubt our authority. We can't change the custom now that it has been established!"
Pretty sneaky, no?
Search for more information about Torah True ploys at 4torah.com.
Why don't the Rabbis put a stop to this nonsense?
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Labels: Israel.jpg)
UPDATE: The same service performed in Lourdes by a Catholic priest appears to be available at no charge (no raffle either). I'm simultaneously proud and embarrassed.
Search for more information about unscrupulous scams at 4torah.com.
A Zechus for the Yomim Noraim
Labels: by Rafi G., Israel
A Guest Post by Rafi G
A young fellow walked into the shul. He walked around flipping open a folder with a letter, seemingly a letter of approbation attesting to his need to collect tzedaka and the worthiness of the cause.
I watched him walk around the beis medrash, approaching every single person learning there - a total of about 30 people or so. Every person gave him something - 1 shekel, 2 shekel, maybe a tiny bit more. The guy made, in 5 minutes of "work", maybe 30 or 40 shekels. And not a single person actually looked at his piece of paper. Nobody knew why he was collecting or was interested in seeing who confirmed his status of being needy.
Am Yisrael gives tzedaka. Yes there are frauds out there, but that doesn't deter us. We trust most of the people who approach us. He must be needy if he is degrading himself to ask. We are willing to take the chance, for a small amount of money, that he might be a fraud, because if he is real the mitzva is so great.
May it be a zechus for klal yisrael in the upcoming days..
Search for more information about High Holiday Merit at 4torah.com.
Who was Cain's father?
Yet another post, inspired by a Twitter conversation....
Here's R. Yochanan on BT Avoda Zara 22B:
When the serpent came unto Eve he infused filthy lust into themAsked @Marksofla:
R' Yochanan says that the nachash had sexual relations with Chava. Is this from a medrash somewhere?First, any non-halachic information found in the Talmud is, by definition, a medrash, so the short answer is, yes, it is a found in a midrash somewhere, and that somewhere is the Talmud itself, which discusses the illicit relationship between Eve and the snake in three places.
And where does the story of Eva and the sexy snake come from? Seemingly from an earlier idea that Cain was the product of an illicit union between Eve and a wicked angel disguised as the snake, an idea that itself appears to be very old and appears to have gotten its start with an interpretation of Genesis 4:1.
The verse reads: וְהָ֣אָדָ֔ם יָדַ֖ע אֶת־ חַוָּ֣ה אִשְׁתֹּ֑ו וַתַּ֙הַר֙ וַתֵּ֣לֶד אֶת־ קַ֔יִן וַתֹּ֕אמֶר קָנִ֥יתִי אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־ יְהוָֽה׃.
Some things are curious about this verse.
(1) Why does Eve refer to her newborn as an ish? Ish is a full grown man, not an infant.
(2) What did Eve mean when she said "I have acquired a man with YKVK (the Lord?)"
For that matter, the whole story of Cain and Abel is puzzling. Why, for instance, did he kill his brother, and why was his sacrifice rejected?
An answer is given by Targum-Pseudo-Johnathan (dating uncertain) on the spot: And Adam knew that his wife Eve had conceived via Samael the angel of the Lord and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. He resembled the upper ones (angels), not the lower ones so she said I have acquired a man (kaniti ish) indeed (or via) an angel of the Lord.
The answer, or interpretation/drash given by TPJ seems based on the idea that ish often means angel (Cain resembled the upper ones) and on the understanding that the Torah uses ellipses (thus "via an angel of") and on a convention that the word YKVK can sometimes refer to a wicked angel (as it is understood for example in Exodus 4:24).
TPJ solves another problem by explaining that "knew" is not being used in 4:1 in the usual biblical sense, as a euphemism for sexual relations, but literally: Adan knew that his wife had conceived via Samel
The idea that Cain was the son of a wicked angel solves the problem in Exodus 4:1, gives a reason for the rejection of the sacrifice, and also explains why Cain killed his brother (He was evil from birth, and the son of the devil, see?) This idea seems to have been in circulation at the end of the first Temple period as it pops up in a variety of places:
- First epistle of John: (first century): Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother
- TPJ 3:6: And the woman saw Samel and was afraid
Later, or at the same time, the idea seems to have developed that the snake that tempted her was actually the wicked angel in disguise:
- Pirquei deR. Eliezer (dating unclear): The serpent came unto her and she became pregnant with Cain as it says... What did he know? That she was already pregnant from someone else.
- Apocalypse of Moses (first century) The devil answered me through the mouth of the serpent
- 3 Baruch (first century)(probably) Satanel, when he dressed himself as the serpent
- Macabbes 4 (between first century BCE and first century CE) "I was a pure virgin and did not go outside my father's house; but I guarded the rib from which woman was made. No seducer corrupted me on a desert plain, nor did the destroyer, the deceitful serpent, defile the purity of my virginity.
Search for more information about demon snakes at 4torah.com.
The NCAA and Contemporary Orthodox Judaism
A Guest Post By E. Fink
Last year, Jeremiah Masoli was the quarterback for the Oregon Ducks. He got into some trouble with the law and committed second degree burglary and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. The Ducks cut him from the team and Masoli transferred to Ole Miss. At first he was considered a transfer and would be forced to sit out the year. He appealed and won the appeal and is now eligible to play for Ole Miss. Apparently, the NCAA does not feel that breaking the law warrants a suspension.
For the last five years, the NCAA has been investigating Reggie Bush and benefits his family received from a potential agent. In finding that Bush broke NCAA rules by accepting gifts (like a house for his family) the NCAA sanctioned USC by taking away scholarships, banning them from bowl games and taking away personal awards. Apparently, the NCAA feels that breaking ITS rules warrants severe punishment.
A few weeks ago, Rabbi Weil wrote a wonderful article on how Orthodox Judaism has morphed into caring more about its own rules than the rules of society and the laws of our country. (Link: OU.org) We concentrate so much on the rituals and customs of Orthodox Judaism that set us apart from other religions that sometimes the basics of citizenship get ignored. It is especially egregious because our law has many of those same laws!
It's almost just the NCAA. It seems like we care more about our own rules than the laws of the land. This is wrong.
As we begin a New Year, I think we need to recommit ourselves to the universal laws of good all the while celebrating those laws that make us different. We can afford to ignore neither.
News from New Zealand about the so-called shchita ban
Monday, September 06, 2010
Labels: IsraelNorman Kabak writes
As a resident of Wellington, NZ and keenly interested in the Shechita ban. I would like to make a comment or two.
The Minister of Agriculture single handedly instituted the ban, although there has been a temporary reprieve until the court case brought by the NZJC (New Zealand Jewish Community) board is heard by the Hight Court. All the advice received by the Minister was to leave the Jewish community alone. He ignored all of that advice. So this seems to prove that it is not a case of anti-antisemitism.
There is a much more complex reason for the ban, in my opinion, and that deals interestingly enough with foreign trade. But first let me say that Halal slaughter here in New Zealand is done by first stunning the animal and then slaughtering it. There are many Muslim countries that do not accept this method, Saudi Arabia being one of them.
Saudi Arabia wants to import NZ lamb that will not be stunned first. They want to import lamb for the Haj, a major pilgrimage event for millions of Muslims. The Minister of Trade and Commerce, some time in mid May went there to conclude a trade agreement, and came back saying that " the agreement is just waiting for a paragraph to be re translated and the ink should be dry as we speak". The agreement has yet to be signed. Now, some very clever Saudi found out that the Jewish community does slaughter without stunning, and so demanded the same conditions for Halal slaughtered lamb for export to Saudi Arabia. In order to save face, the Minister of Agriculture came to the rescue of his friend the Minister of Trade and so declared that all slaughter must be proceeded by stunning. This writer recently went to the United States on a mission to gather forces to put political pressure on Congress by lining up some major Jewish organizations asking them to speak to the "Powers that Be" and see if the NZ government might change its mind on the banning issue. There is much, much more behind the scenes, but time is short and so let me wish all a Shanah Tovah.
Search for more information about [topic] at 4torah.com.
A mistake in the transcription of parshas Vayelch
Labels: Israel
A curious mistake appears in both the Septuagint and the Deuteronomy scroll found at Qumran, a mistake which sheds some thematic light on the first verse in last week's parsha. The Masoretic text reads:
וַיֵּלֶךְ, מֹשֶׁה; וַיְדַבֵּר אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, אֶל-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל.
And Moshe went and spoke these words to all of Israel.
All of the major commenters attempt to explain where Moshe went, and their suggestions vary widely. The Septuagint and the Deuteronomy scroll, however, have a different reading, one that obviates the difficulty: "And Moshe finished speaking these words to all of Israel."
What happened seems clear: The Greek scribe, and the Qumran scribe coincidentally both made the exact same identical error, and reversed the order of the last two letters of the verb vayelehk (he went) producing vayekhal (he finished) instead.
I call the mistake curious, because aside from the remarkable coincidence of two scribes working in two different places making the same error, and aside from solving the problem of where Moshe went, the scribal error makes much thematic sense. The final chapters of Deuteronomy form an epilouge to the book, and the mistake makes this verse into what Robert Alter calls "a proper introduction to the epilogue." Moshe has finished his valedictory sermon. Beginning here, with this verse, the final chapters of the book are concerned with wrapping up the loose ends: The transfer of authority to Yehoshua, Moshe's song, and the blessing of the 12 tribes.
Search for more information about scribal errors at 4torah.com.
The only thing you need to know about New Zealand, the earthquake, and the ban on kosher slaughter
Friday, September 03, 2010
Labels: Israel"New Zealand sits above an area of the Earth's crust where two tectonic plates collide. The country records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year — but only about 150 are felt by residents. Fewer than 10 a year do any damage"
Those of you who wish to link the earthquake New Zealand suffered this morning to a change made last May to the animal welfare law that inadvertently affects kosher slaughter have several thousand other NZ earthquakes to explain.
Search for more information about New Zealand at 4torah.com.
Slichos in Tel Aviv
Labels: Israel
This is awfully cool, from both a religious and historical perspective. (The fact that the presence of a narrator unfortunately reminds me of WPIX's annual broadcast of midnight mass seems worth mentioning too)
Search for more information about [topic] at 4torah.com.
The Great Migration
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Labels: IsraelAfter the jump is an excerpt from an article in the current New Yorker that describes the experiences of one woman, Mae Ida Brandon, who was part of the Great Migration, a movement of 1.75 million African Americans out of the Southern United States to the Midwest, Northeast and West between 1910 and 1930.
I've posted it for a few reasons. Not only is the writing is out of this world, but parts of Brandon's experience parallel the Jewish experience: she, like many of us, was driven by the cruelty of the local majority into a diaspora. There are other reasons, but I'll leave them unsaid as an exercise for the reader
Read it now.
The Chinese Bamboo Parable Video
Labels: Israel
Short but sweet, this rant. I'm just curious to know what your readers think since everyone I know LOVES this video to death... am I the only slightly nauseated one?
J-----
The Chinese Bamboo Parable Video
Here's a link to the video in question!
Let’s start by saying I like this video. I think it’s worth watching.
The Big Idea is that sometimes progress is small; incremental. Sometimes big changes happen over the course of years, not weeks, so we can’t get frustrated with ourselves for seemingly being in the same place this Rosh Hashanah as we were last year. It’s all true.
But to my cynical mind, it seems like this video is a pat on the back for complacency. “Yay, you! You haven’t made great strides Jewishly, but at least you feel kinda bad about it. And maybe this coming year will be the year you grow 60 feet in five weeks.”
I know you’re not supposed to wallow, and feeling good is a great thing. But I guess I expected more from a kiruv organization. Not hellfire, maybe. Not brimstone (whatever that is). But doesn’t this kind of fly in the face of “if you’re not constantly moving up, you’re sliding down?”
I guess I expected more than I’d get from the feel-good sermon of just about every Conservative shul I’ve ever been to.
It occurs to me now – is it because it’s Chinese bamboo? Not that I’m racist, but is it pandering to the new-age, Eastern-centric mindset with its faux-zen meditativeness and still shots of giant looming bamboo groves? Bamboo is very zen. Is Aish.com???
Now go watch the video & tell me what you think...
Search for more information about bamboo at 4torah.com.
Demons in the Talmud
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Labels: IsraelThe Talmud in BT Avoda Zaza 12b warns againts Shabriri, a demon believed to cause a form of blindness, and provides a spell that it says can be used to defend against the demon's power.
Here is how Soncino translates the passage:
Our Rabbis taught: One should not drink water in the night; if he does drink his blood is on his head, for it is dangerous. What danger is there? The danger of Shabriri. But if he be thirsty, how can he put things right? [DB: What's his remedy?]— If there is another person with him, he should wake him and say: 'I am athirst for water'. If not, let him knock with the lid on the jug and say to himself: 'Thou [giving his name] the son of [naming his mother], thy mother hath warned thee to guard thyself against Shabriri, briri, riri, iri, ri, which prevail in blind vessels.'Soncino's notes provide the following interesting bits of information:
- Shabriri is usually taken as Hebrew for "breaker of the eyesight." Kohut (I presume either Alexander or his father Jacob) says the word is actually shab-khiri which is Persian for "night blindness"
- The spell, Soncino notes, works just like the abracadabra amulet, a Roman charm which proposed that the power of a disease or demon could be reduced if a letter of its name is reduced on each mention until only one letter remains.
So now what? My position is that this passage means only to share a bit of wisdom and good advice, and neither the demon nor the counter-charm should not be understood to have any efficacy; also the passage should not understood to have any Mesoratic value. The Rabbis lived among people that believed in demons and spells naturally came to believe in them, too. Their information on such non-halachic subjects such as demons and spells was not infallible, as it was entirely based on the excepted knowledge of their own time and place. In this case in particular, it seems apparent that the demon is a Persian invention, with a Persian name, and the remedy a common pagan solution. This is a conclusion, by the way, that is perfectly appropriate for a believing Jew to accept. As Samson Rephael Hirsch explained:
Our Sages were the scholar of the divine religion and were the recipients, transmitters and teachers of God's guidance, ordinances, commandments, and statutes; they were not especially natural scientists, geometers, astronomers, or physicians except as it was necessary for their comprehension, observance and performance of the Torah - and we do not find that this knowledge was transmitted to them from Sinai...[their] sagacity is in no way diminished if in another generation it is determined that some of his statements, in making which he had believed and accepted the reports and investigations of others, were based on incorrect premises.
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