My ongoing journey through the Torah

Chanukkah: what is it

I wrote the following post on my livejournal blog a year ago.  That’s almost 1 BM (year 1 before marriage).  Thought I would share it again.  Chanukkah begins this year at sundown at December 16th and ends at sundown on December 23rd.

I’ve been reading up on Hanukkah (Chanukkah, or a few other spellings) for the past few weeks. I believe I understand it now. Let me know if I have it right:

168 BCE
• The Hellenist Syrians (Syrians that worshiped the Greek gods) seized the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Syrian king Antiochus outlawed the Jewish religion. The Holy Temple was rededicated to the worship of Zeus
• Shortly later, a Syrian officer ordered the high priest, Mattathias, to eat pork in the village of Modiin. Since the eating of pork is forbidden in the Torah, Mattathias refused. Out of fear a fellow villager offered to eat the pork instead. Mattathias became enraged and slew both the villager and the Syrian officer. He fled into the mountains with his family
• Mattathias, along with his sons, led guerilla-like raids on the Syrians. This attracted like minded Jews in the foundations of an army.

168-165 BCE
• Mattathias dies leaving his eldest and bravest son Judah Maccabee to build the army

165 BCE
• After many battles, the Maccabee army retook the Holy Temple in Jerusalem even though it was outnumbered and possessed inferior weaponry
• The Temple was found to have been desecrated and required to be rededicated to G-d. Part of the ritual of dedication is the lighting of the menorah for eight days.
• Due to the Syrian occupancy of the Temple, only enough oil was found to keep the menorah lit for a single day. Myth? As if by divine intent, the menorah stayed lit for the full eight days.

Continue reading Chanukkah: what is it…

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Just not cut out for Judaism?

Just not cut out for Judaism

Barney Zwartz

October 27, 2006

A BOY on the verge of his bar mitzvah was told that he wasn’t properly circumcised and therefore wasn’t Jewish.

Orthodox rabbis in Sydney said he had to be recircumcised within four days or the ceremony — which marks the official transition to adulthood Jewish boys make at 13 — could not go ahead.

The boy’s mother, Sydney journalist Ros Reines, said she was shocked and sickened, and refused a second circumcision. "He’s undoubtedly circumcised. It’s just a matter of degree," she said.

 

Read more…

 
If the article is true, do the Orthodox Rabbis in Sydney have any authority to say who is Jewish and whom is not?

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Wedding day … I’m up and waiting for the five ‘wake up’ calls that are coming

Who is supposed to call me this morning to make sure I’m awake?

1. Dad
2. Nate
3. Pummy
4. Dan
5. Glennys

Guess what?  I’ve been awake for the past half hour.  Nope, no trouble sleeping at all last night.  I put my head on the pillow and then I woke up this morning feeling perfectly fine.  No nervousness, no anxiety, just a delightful calm.  Really, the only things I’m thinking about at the moment are when is breakfast and when is lunch.  I’m just hanging out in our apartment.

tzurriz, dreamsweaver, and all the other women are probably going nuts right now at dreamsweaver ’s house about now getting their hair, makeup and whatever it is that women have done on the day of the movie while I’m just sitting here doing nothing with nothing that has to be done (except drop off the car at the hotel in Lombard).

skyring, Aussie Casanova, just totally surprises me every day.  Yesterday he posted Hurricane Rebecca and today he sends roses and chocolates!  When we get to Canberra, Austraila  in the next couple of years, I’m going to hire skyring’s cab for an entire day so he can show us Canberra.  The best way to site-see is in the cab IMHO. :)  Look out skyring!  Hurricane Rebecca (tzurriz ) is coming to Austraila in a couple years!

Work has been very good in not trying to contact me so kudos to Bill, Josey, Bruce, Rick, Drew and Francis for holding down the fort!!

A word of warning to Pummy:  If you don’t get your tux today at noon, like you were supposed to do two days ago, not only is tzurriz and Latika going to kick your butt, but dreamsweaver is talk very politely and calmly to you while the rest of the families come up behind you and….

Pauline’s wife is stuck at Union Station because she didn’t bring any money, credit cards, or even ID.  One of my uncles is going to go get her.  I’m sorry but I don’t have time today to go and pick up ANYONE today. hmmm

To everyone that is coming to the wedding:
I’m in no mood for any selfish antics today!  Pummy, Dan and Nate are the bouncers at the wedding and reception..  That means if you have a cell phone, put it on silent - you can answer the blooming phone after the ceremony outside of the main area.  Don’t even think of bringing laptops, iPods, Blackberrys, or anything like that… keep it in the car or better yet, don’t bring it at all.

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FW: At Least Six Slain At Pa. Amish School

FW: At Least Six Slain At Pa. Amish School
"So far six confirmed dead and the helicopters are pulling into (Lancaster General Hospital) like crazy," Lancaster County Coroner G. Gary Kirchner said.Six people were dead after a gunman opened fire in a one-room Amish schoolhouse Monday in Pennsylvania’s bucolic Lancaster County, the county coroner said. It was unclear if the shooter was among the six, but state police had said earlier that he had been killed at the school. Police said the situation is now under control.

Read more…

On Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, this happens :(  How can we ask G-d for forgiveness of the entire human race when someone is willing to kill children?  What in the world could the Amish be targeted for?  The Amish have got to be one of the most harmless groups of people on the planet!  They keep to themselves and offer help to strangers when needed.

The Amish remind me strongly of a group of people Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time saga known as the Tuatha’an:

Those sworn to the Way of the Leaf are a pacifistic group, pledging to do no violence. They believe that violence harms not only the victim, but the person who harms the victim.

The Way of the Leaf also means taking what must come, and the leaf is an example: "For the leaf lives its appointed time and does not struggle against the wind that carries it away. The leaf does no harm, and finally falls to nourish new leaves." Those sworn to the Way of the Leaf pledge not do violence, but are willing to accept if it comes upon them.

Some born to the Way of the Leaf have trouble accepting this lifestyle. For the most part, though, those who follow the Way of the Leaf are happy and at peace with themselves. Many find it difficult to see how anyone could follow the Way of the Leaf in a world filled with violence and troubles, but these people find it hard to believe people would choose to live any other way.

Despite the difficulties involved, it easy to envy those who follow the Way of the Leaf for the simplicity and peace with which they live their lives.

I’m very angry and I shouldn’t be on Yom Kippur but I am.

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My ongoing journey through the Torah

It has been brought to my attention that the subtitle of this blog My ongoing journey through the Torah could be taken in a flippant sort of way.  That is not at all what I mean.  The word Torah means different things depending on the context.

When I wrote the subtitle, I meant it as looking at the world through new jewish eyes. — meaning my eyes.  I’ve converted from being a Methodist Christian to a Reform Jew just a few weeks ago so it is almost like looking at a brand new world using Torah tinted glasses.  I’m alot more aware of the darker side of being a Jew such as anti-semetic remarks in the media as well as just how much we (the Jews) have influenced western society.

Reading and understanding the Torah is a life long endeavor whose meaning will change depending on my point of view (thanks ObiWan! ;-).  I think the Torah is the ultimate guide to living.

Many of the laws in the Bible (Torah = Bible IMHO) no longer apply as health standards of living have increased dramatically.  We try to keep all the laws laid down in the Torah, even those that don’t really apply any more, out of respect of tradition but mostly because Adonai told us to.

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ראש השנה

Happy Rosh Hashanah everybody!!  Even though it doesn’t start until sun down later this afternoon (sundown = end of the day), I thought I would like to wish everyone a happy New Year! 

This holiday is the first of the Yamim Noraim (Hebrew, "Days of Awe"), the most solemn days of the Jewish year; the Yamim Noraim are preceded by the month of Elul, during which Jews are supposed to begin a self-examination and repentance, a process that culminates in the ten days of the Yamim Noraim known as Asseret Yemei Teshuva - The Ten Days of Repentance, beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with the holiday of Yom Kippur.  — Wikipedia

Even though I enjoy the High Holidays (yes, even the never ending seeming services), sometimes they seem to come at inconvenient times.  In only sixteen days I will be getting married and there are a thousand little things to do and I have work stuff to do and the list goes on and on.  In truth, I’m rather grateful for the High Holidays because they make me STOP and lookaround for a bit.

You know what I’m looking forward to the most?  It is the round challah bread with honey!  When we have challah in the house and my fiance isn’t looking, well, you would be surprised at how much honey challah can absorb without turning into mush!

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FW Townhall: Surprise as America’s “most popular” religion

With all the recent talk about anti-Semitism, who would have thought that Jews would prove so popular?

A new Gallup Poll (released September 7, 2006) asked respondents how they felt about ten different religious groups, ranging from “Fundamentalist Christians” to “Atheists.” By every measure, Jews drew the most favorable reaction, with the highest “positive” rating (58%) and the lowest “negative” rating (only 4%). By contrast, Americans expressed decidedly mixed feelings about Mormons (with a net negative rating, 29% to 28%) and Muslims (30% to 26%). The least popular religious groups in the survey proved to be Atheists (an overwhelmingly negative 44% to 15% rating) and, most especially, Scientologists (a stunning 53% negative, to just 11% positive – thank you, Tom Cruise!).  Read more…

I couldn’t help smiling when I read the article but at the same time, I’m sad because it really shouldn’t make any difference what religion a person participates in as long as the religion is generally non-violent IMHO.

Why generally?  Well, there are always times when the members of the religion have to take on violent ways for survival.  Note that I’m not including the murder of innocents that groups like Hezbollah seem promote.

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The Torah

Everyday I learn more about the Torah (aka the first five books of the Old Testament) and how it relates to my life.  I hope to share it with anyone that is willing to listen.

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