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| Volume 7 Number 78 | Sat Dec 20 23:55:02 US/Pacific 1997 |
From: Mark Hurvitz <rmark@san.rr.com> Date: Wed, 17 Dec 97 11:34:48 -0800 Subject: Chanukkah Resources on the WWW Often, at this time of year, various links are offered for fun sites on the WWW. Forgive me for my immodesty in supplying one more (my own). I do so, because I have at my site, not just your usual how to do the blessings, etc. But also a number of Hebrew, Yiddish, (one) Ladino, and English songs, latke recepies, dreidle game instructions. However, in addition, I have collected links to the sources that already exist on the WWW: the Books of the Maccabees, Josephus on the Maccabean War, (where you can get copies of My Glorious Brothers by Howard Fast); Olive oil; even the winter solstice. I hope this utilizes the WWW as a *resource* and draws these additional resources together. <http://www.computergeeks.com/msh/what/text/liturgies/chanukkah/rededicate.html> rmark@san.rr.com http://www.computergeeks.com/msh/index.html \\'rite on! R. ,\\ark Hurvitz
From: s.meric@ix.netcom.com (Polar) Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 06:49:50 GMT Subject: Differences in Funeral Practice > I am also curious, about a kind of courtly arranged dance, that was done > after a Conservative funeral, by the grave, by the rabbi using the family. I > had never seen such a thing before. Not at my son's Reform burial years > before. It was done in a shorter and stiffer form after my father's > Orthodox funeral. I can't fathom the sense of it. My own rabbi told me each > sect rabbi has his own form. There must be a reason for it. This reminded me of my father's burial in a very Orthodox ceremony arranged by his brother. I was somewhat out of it, but I remember that when carrying the coffin to the grave, the pallbearers did a zig-zag sort of step. I was later informed this was designed to fool the evil spirits, or some such belief. I still remember thinking how deplorable this was! It does not fit with my conception of Judaism. Polar
From: Ethel Jean Saltz <nietgal@airmail.net> Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 09:08:57 -0600 Subject: Hate, Can't, Want Because of the War On Drugs, I've become more frustrated by addiction and bi-polar-disorder. I see WOD as a real psychiatric, thus, scientific personality consideration. It all boils down to two subjects, mania and depression. In fact, because of Jewish cyberspace, I see it as basic in discussing the various branches of Judaism. I can point to King Saul as a perfect model for this discussion; also Shabbatai Zevi. If I had gotten the kind of Hebrew ed that I now know I should have received, ivrit be-ivrit, then I wouldn't have to ask how does one say the words "hate", "can't", "want(desire)" in biblical Hebrew. I would have used those words in the title. Using Hebrew puts an immortal halo around this discussion. Does the Talmud and Mishneh deal with the psychology of Hate, Can't and Want? You know, it's even hard to ask this question. What is IT, --> Talmud, Mishneh, Oral Law, Tradition, Torah (the Torah that is not just Torah)? Do we Jews really have any standard at all? If I use TaNaK as a single source, I am called a Karaite. It's really hard to discuss anything Jewish and be all-inclusive, except if we simply use TaNaK, first, and then develop from our own Jewish sources based on TaNaK. If I go from TaNaK to my experience and by-pass Rabbinic developmental education, then I am a Karaite and therefore am not Jewish and therefore have no rights at all, to many vocal Jews. Back to the three words. Because of the WOD, I am now a member of the Drug Policy Forum of Texas. Because of the list discussions, and my own personal experience with bi-polar-disorder and addiction, and also, because of the attitude of many on the soc.culture.jewish about Judaism and the lo-yehoodee world, I realized what makes me uncomfortable. It all boils down to these three words. The idea of "hate" and "can't" never entered into my own upbringing. It is a very foreign attitude to me. However, I "want" to and I don't "want" to is the very essence of me. So, the word "hate" brings to me a feeling of mania. The word "can't" brings to me a feeling of depression. "Want" means I am controlling my mania and my depression. Do the traditions of Judaism deal with this? If there isn't such a tradition, then shouldn't we Jews start one? be-Ahavah ve-Shalom, Ethel Jean of Creekbend,
From: Ruth Levenstein <RuthEllen@ibm.net> Date: Thu, 18 Dec 1997 01:41:44 -0800 Subject: Individual Autonomy Rabbi Steve Forstein wrote: > The mission of Reform - liberal Judaism should be to hold both ends of the > string; our grounding in the Torah tradition in one hand and the truth of > our autonomy in the other. If we let go of either end of the string we are > no longer "liberal Jews." Hello Rabbi, It's nice to hear you include individual autonomy as one of the cornerstones of Reform Judaism. Since it is essential for me, I sometimes worry that some are prepared to abandon this important concept as part of the trend towards a more traditional Reform. To disregard personal autonomy for me would be as big a mistake (bigger?) as Reform's historical disregard for Jewish texts and traditional practices. Jewish texts and traditional practices are ours to understand and integrate into our being. To disregard them is a grave mistake, but to shirk our responsibility as Reform Jews to relate to these as individuals would be a cop out. If we merely see ourselves as creating a new set of community standards (ones that fit better into the modern world) then there will be many for whom the standard falls short and others for whom the standards will fail completely. Rather, we need to recognize that each of us will have a unique way of relating to our tradition. As a community our role is to support each other in the process of behaving Jewishly. Greater access to Jewish texts and traditional practices is a essential goal, but let's not throw out the baby with the bath water. Ruth RuthEllen@ibm.net
From: Karen J Prager <kprager@utdallas.edu> Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 11:08:20 -0600 (CST) Subject: Problems with the term "Jews for Jesus" I couldn't resist offering the following clarification as to why the term "Jews for Jesus" is an oxymoron. It is not because Jews for Jesus are Messianic! (Aren't Jews the original "messianic" people? It is because, to be a Christian means (among other things) that one accepts Jesus the Christ as one's personal savior, and accepts the salvation and redemption that comes as a result of believing in Jesus as the Son of God who died on the cross in atonement for our sins. Thus, "Jews for Jesus" is a misnomer first because as soon as one accepts Jesus as the Christ, one is by definition a Christian. Further, contrast the Jewish approach to redemption/salvation: Jews gain salvation by following God's commandments (revealed through the Torah). This distinction is quite clear in the NT (see Paul's arguments in Galatians (I believe it's chapter 2, don't have the text with me) or in Hebrews (same disclaimer, sorry). The idea of gaining salvation through believing in something, in anything, is not a part of Jewish thought that I am aware of. Finally, Jews interpret the Akedah to mean that the God of Israel will never ask for a human sacrifice, ever. It is hard for me to imagine, given all this (and more) how a Jews for Jesus movement could be considered anything but Christian. Karen J. Prager The University of Texas at Dallas P.O. Box 830688 Richardson, TX 75083-0688 972-883-2353 email: kprager@utdallas.edu
From: rebsteve@dakotaconnect.com (Rabbi Steve Forstein) Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1997 10:56:07 -0600 Subject: What are the Boundaries of Reform Judaism? On Tues, Dec. 16, Peter Haas wrote: >In taking this thread just a bit further, what we then appear to have in >REFORM Judaism is a stream of Judaism that:... and 3) is quite outraged when >the more traditional stream of Judaism ("orthodoxy") doesn't accept "Reform" >Judaism as a co-equal... To compound the problem with the "STREAM of Reform >Judaism", we have the additional challenge of accepting the fact that ANY >Reform rabbi is even permitted to deviate from the stream itself..... It is clear to me that there are many Reform Jews who do NOT become outraged when Orthodox Jews and organizations do not recognize Reform as a co-equal. If one understand Orthodoxy at all, one should understand that it cannot accept Reform as co-equal and remain Orthodoxy. Why should Reform be angry with Orthodoxy for being Orthodoxy? On Reform rabbis "deviating from the stream itself", this is a REAL problem. My understanding is that traditional Jewish practice evolved in a climate of love for the tradition and its words (originally the Torah and the rest of the Tanach), the practices of the people and the circumstances of the times. The Mishnah records instances in which tannaitic rabbis were put in cherem (shunned) for continuing to teach as correct matters on which a decision had be taken contrary to their views. We may need to consider adopting some sanctions on rabbis who, contrary to explicit condemnation by the CCAR, continue to co-officiate at wedding ceremonies with non-Jewish clergy. I was outraged this summer that some rabbis visiting in my community declared patrilineal Jews full Jews despite the fact that none of them had undergone any "other public acts or declarations" as recommended by the patrilineality report. > For those beyond childhood claiming Jewish identity, other public acts or > declarations may be added or substituted after consultation with their > rabbi. Notice the permissive language of this document. It needs to be changed to "should" or "must", so that standards of Jewish identity at least stay uniform across the Reform movement. Rabbi Steve Forstein RebSteve@dakotaconnect.com 605/332-4099, fax 605/332-9261, P.O. Box 1451, Sioux Falls, SD 57101 Moderator of Olam Katan, the Internet Mailing List for Rural Jews and Small Jewish Communities
From: Steffi Aronson Karp <sak@ziplink.net> Date: Thu, 18 Dec 1997 10:31:26 -0500 Subject: Why I Find Multiple Movements Valuable In response to those writing on Reform/Halachah relationships, I feel I should first explain my placement in societal terms. My husband and I were raised as proud Reform Jews, and both garnered from Conservative classmates that we were somehow 'not Jewish enough.' I never understood that, after all I attended religious school religiously. When I attended youth group events that I discovered the fun stuff in services that some of you have been writing about--singing, a sense of belonging, a feeling of having *gained something from the service*. As adults, my husband and I no longer participate in the Reform congregation where he was president and I was chair of Adult Jewish studies(tho we pay our dues). We daven Reconstructionist, our kids attend Conservative religious school, and we still pay dues to the Reform congregation. On top of it all, our two overnight-camp-aged kids attend Orthodox camp! Why span all the movements? 1) Our Recon congregation, where our son recently became a bmitz offers us opportunities to seriously study text, and to pray in Hebrew, the language neither of our religious schools (We were both raised Reform) taught us well. Our minds and souls are nourished in EVERY service. The sense of tradition, while mindful of the egalitarian changes being made, renew our sense of Judaism through regular prayer experience. We sing our way through services, like a youth group service without the bad personal poetry (--which I, for one, used to adore!) 2) Conservative for the kids. As my husband and I have learned more about Jewish tradition and text study as adults, we feel cheated by our early childhood religious schools. Why weren't we told about tradition--and why changes were being made--rather than just given a few prayers? We want our 3 sons to know not only enough for their bar mitzvahs, but that Judaism is an on-going experience. They can daven a service in Hebrew by the end of 3rd grade at this religious school, and they learn about life-long Jewish experience. 3) No longer attending Reform--but supporting the congregation. Over the years we learned more and more about what was left out of the Gates of Prayer--and we prefer the Recon version, where tradition is mentioned, and changes are acknowledged. We truly miss some of the wonderful people who were members of our Reform synagogue, but the services, despite fabulous music, became dreary, pedantic, pediatric Judaism. (We, the clergy, will show you, the dopes, how to try to be Jewish...) Reform Judaism has an essential political presence in Washington, the Religious Action Center, and we support that. Reform Judaism needs the support of all Jews because of the strength of Reform Jewish defense of Jewish issues in our American society. In fact, the movement, has such a lot to offer, and I continue to support, attend, and promote their Adult Jewish study events. But a lot of that effort comes at the expense of weak children's programing, and individualized bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies which ignore the congregation's part in a child's coming of age. For the very reasons so many of you have written, Reform Judaism as a religion cannot succeed until it takes a stand--and supports the Judaism part of its name, not just the Reform. When Reform religious schools require knowledge, and create well-educated Jews with background, history and, yes, Hebrew for text study, then reforming the religious tradition will stand for more than simple ease of operation. 4) Finally, why the Orthodox camp? Well, first of all they love it. We tried Reform Movement camp. Our kids just didn't come home with enough ahavat yisrael--love of Judaism. Now, when they're excited about something at home, they shout Hebrew cheers. What more could a parent ask? Sorry so long, folks. Your words triggered a lot of feelings. sak
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