RE: Your "The Yid Who Ate Squid" rant....
Audio:: "The Yid Who Ate Squid"
Dear Tamar,
Instead of protesting or blocking a Bar Mitzvah at the Kotel, why not get the leading Rabbis in Israel to formally invite Rahm Emanuel to have his son's Bar Mitzvah at the Kotel?
In the process, these Rabbis could individually lay hands on Rahm's son and collectively pronounce a blessing upon him that he prospers with and when Israel prospers and that he diminishes with and when Israel diminishes. Tie this young man's strength and destiny to the Land, sort of like the health of King Arthur being tied to the "health" of Camelot, if you will.
They could pronounce a Divine Blessing upon this young man that he does indeed become a Bar Mitzvah and a Guardian of the Land, despite any machinations, while adding that his father should live to see this! In short, make it an experience that both he and his father will not be able to forget! And if Rahm declines the invitation, then the leading Rabbis should go to his son's Bar Mitzvah anyway and bless him. Just a thought.... ;)
Peace,
Crazy Smade
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Thoughts On Poverty
Someone wrote, "The GRA [Vilna Gaon] says in KOL HATOR [The Voice of the Turtledove] an intresting sentence mashiach ben yosef is raised up to his stature through poverty!"
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I'd be interested to learn what Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon means by this and how poverty raises Mashiach Ben Yosef to his stature. Any thoughts?
Champions of the poor, who are born into poverty, typically end up becoming martyrs that few seek to follow and genuinely emulate. The sects that arise out of such "cults of personality" rarely stay true to the virtues of the presumed "founder".
It's been my experience that poverty does one of three things for the individual:
1. Poverty motivates one to claw their way out of it or, at the very least, it motivates one to lash out at the "world". Doing either usually leads one to give the reins over to their Yetzer HaRa -- a recipe for disaster on many levels, IMO.
2. Poverty can break one's hope of ever escaping it and doom one to an existence of servitude, which typically condemns one's offspring to perpetuate the cycle of poverty begets poverty.
3. Poverty can drive one to suicide.
Overcome it. Live with it. Or escape it. Is there another option?
Any which way you cut it, poverty is a cruel task-master and a crippling mistress. May we see the end of economic disparity, speedily in our day!
---------------------------
I'd be interested to learn what Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon means by this and how poverty raises Mashiach Ben Yosef to his stature. Any thoughts?
Champions of the poor, who are born into poverty, typically end up becoming martyrs that few seek to follow and genuinely emulate. The sects that arise out of such "cults of personality" rarely stay true to the virtues of the presumed "founder".
It's been my experience that poverty does one of three things for the individual:
1. Poverty motivates one to claw their way out of it or, at the very least, it motivates one to lash out at the "world". Doing either usually leads one to give the reins over to their Yetzer HaRa -- a recipe for disaster on many levels, IMO.
2. Poverty can break one's hope of ever escaping it and doom one to an existence of servitude, which typically condemns one's offspring to perpetuate the cycle of poverty begets poverty.
3. Poverty can drive one to suicide.
Overcome it. Live with it. Or escape it. Is there another option?
Any which way you cut it, poverty is a cruel task-master and a crippling mistress. May we see the end of economic disparity, speedily in our day!
LIVE - BP SPILL CAM
LIVE - BP SPILL CAM
Just one of the BP's leaks in the Gulf of Mexico.
Well, maybe now the big fishing companies will start building and running on-shore fish farms, like I've been talking about for decades. ::::heavy sigh:::: Why harvest the ocean, when you can grow them on land!? Oh well.... No one listens and I haven't the bucks to do jack-squat about it. Let the world go to Hell in a handbasket. Who cares....
Just one of the BP's leaks in the Gulf of Mexico.
Well, maybe now the big fishing companies will start building and running on-shore fish farms, like I've been talking about for decades. ::::heavy sigh:::: Why harvest the ocean, when you can grow them on land!? Oh well.... No one listens and I haven't the bucks to do jack-squat about it. Let the world go to Hell in a handbasket. Who cares....
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
What Can You Do to Help the Noahide Movement?
What Can You Do to Help the Noahide Movement?
What can I do to help the so-called Noahide Nations? Nothing! I joined this pathetic group, that has about 20 or so members living in different areas across the US. I even joined their homeschooling group. What did I get? One person asked about doing a Torah study, which neither of us was qualified to lead. And a few of the kids on the group sent me their brief greetings.
In short, the best thing that could happen to this group would be that it disappears, because it's not doing anything. Noachidism isn't a religion or an organization, IMO. What these Noachides should do is move to a place where there's a Jewish community and convert to Judaism or, at the very least, attend a synagogue, shut their pie hole and learn something!
I also wrote the founder of the Noahide Nations and got ZERO response. So, if he's serious about accepting help, then maybe he ought to answer his freaking emails and/or the posts on his lame website, instead of crying on the radio about needing a new name for his program, which I have no clue why the Israeli Radio Network even allows on the air! Pfft....
See further my post - Noachide Reflections?
What can I do to help the so-called Noahide Nations? Nothing! I joined this pathetic group, that has about 20 or so members living in different areas across the US. I even joined their homeschooling group. What did I get? One person asked about doing a Torah study, which neither of us was qualified to lead. And a few of the kids on the group sent me their brief greetings.
In short, the best thing that could happen to this group would be that it disappears, because it's not doing anything. Noachidism isn't a religion or an organization, IMO. What these Noachides should do is move to a place where there's a Jewish community and convert to Judaism or, at the very least, attend a synagogue, shut their pie hole and learn something!
I also wrote the founder of the Noahide Nations and got ZERO response. So, if he's serious about accepting help, then maybe he ought to answer his freaking emails and/or the posts on his lame website, instead of crying on the radio about needing a new name for his program, which I have no clue why the Israeli Radio Network even allows on the air! Pfft....
See further my post - Noachide Reflections?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Jews and Shoes
Jews and Shoes
By Lorne Rozovsky
Shoes have always played a role in history and culture. Everyone knows the story of Cinderella and the glass slipper, or the tale of Puss and Boots. Remember Dorothy's magic ruby shoes in the Wizard of Oz?
Language is littered with references to shoes. We wait for the other shoe to drop, or try to experience life in another person's shoes. One has big shoes to fill when he takes on a new challenge. There is the phrase, "if the shoe fits, wear it."
Shoe design can indicate a person's wealth and social position, as reflected in the quality of material or the complexity of the workmanship used to make shoes. Shoes can show membership in a particular group, like cowboy boots or motorcycle boots. High heels make a social statement, as do a sensible pair of Oxfords. Celebrities are known for the number of pairs they own.
What one does with shoes also makes a statement. For example throwing shoes at someone is an insult.
What about Jews and shoes? The Song of Songs 7:2 reads, "How beautiful are thy feet in sandals." Shoes were considered to be so important that Rabbi Akiva instructed his son Joshua not to go barefoot. They were signs of sensuousness, comfort, luxury and pleasure.
The Talmud (Shabbat 129a) declares: "A person should sell the roof beams of his house to buy shoes for his feet."
According to the Code of Jewish law (the Shulchan Aruch), when putting on shoes, the right shoe goes on first. When tying shoes. the left shoe is tied first. When shoes are taken off, the left shoe comes off first. This custom is based on the belief that the right is more important than the left. Therefore, the right foot should not remain uncovered while the left is covered. Shoes should be tied from the left since knotted teffilin is worn on the left arm.
Since the tying of shoes is a reminder of the tying of teffilin, for those who are left handed, and who place the teffilin on their right arm, the right shoe should be tied first rather than the left, so that the tying of shoes matches the tying of teffilin.
There are times in Jewish life when the wearing of shoes is forbidden. When the priestly blessing is given in traditional synagogues, the kohanim remove their shoes outside the sanctuary before their hands are washed by the Levites and before giving the priestly blessing. Removing the shoes avoids the possibility of embarrassment in the event that one of the kohanim has a torn shoe lace and remains behind to tie his shoes while his brethren are blessing the congregation.
There is also a custom amongst certain chassidic groups to remove their (leather) shoes before approaching the gravesite of a holy person. This tradition goes back to the command to Moses when he approached the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:5), "Remove your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground"
On the historic day of mourning, Tisha b'Av, Jews are prohibited from wearing leather shoes. The same prohibition applies on Yom Kippur to show remorse and penance.
In the Book of Isaiah (20:2), Isaiah is commanded to remove his sandals as a sign of mourning. Shoes also play a part in the mourning period after a death. During the period of shiva, the seven days of mourning, leather shoes may not be worn. In Talmudic times, both the pall bearers and the mourners went barefoot.
If the support of a leather shoe is necessary for medical reasons, the preservation of health overrules the prohibition. If someone has to leave the house, leather shoes may be worn, but they should be removed when the person returns home for shiva. If the mourner is going to synagogue for services during shiva, leather may also be worn, though the shoes should be removed at the synagogue.
In all of these exceptions, an unusual practice is required. When the wearing of leather is permitted, a little earth or pebble is placed in the shoes to remind the wearer that they are in mourning.
The question of shoes also arises in Jewish burials. The body of the deceased may be wearing shoes, but only if the shoes are made of linen or cotton. Most Jews are buried in a shroud which covers the feet, so the issue never arises.
Of all the Jewish customs involving shoes, the most unusual and fascinating is that of the laws of halitzah. Going back to Deuteronomy (25:5-9), when a married man dies childless, leaving an unmarried brother, the brother is obligated to marry his widowed sister-in-law. The rationale for what was called a levirate marriage was to continue the name, the assets and the soul of the deceased brother through the subsequent marriage and children.
Reference to this practice is also found in the Book of Ruth 3:4 when Naomi instructs Ruth to go to the granary at night, lie next to Boaz and to uncover his feet.
The brother could also opt to release her to marry someone else. This is the ceremony of halitzah. The widow and her brother-in-law appear before a rabbinical court, a beth din, consisting of five members. The brother-in-law wears on his right foot what is known as the halitzah shoe. This special shoe is made from the skin of a kosher animal and consists of two pieces sown together with leather threads. It must not contain metal and is designed like a moccasin with long straps.
The widow declares that her brother-in-law refuses to marry her, and he confirms it as directed in Deuteronomy (25:7 and 9). She then places her left hand on his calf, undoes the laces with her right hand, removes the shoe from his foot, throws it to the ground, and spits on the ground in front of him. The beth din then recites the formula releasing all obligations.
The shoe is a symbol of the transaction. This tradition is part of the color and romance of Jewish tradition and life.
It is also part of the spiritual tradition. The Kabbalists describe the body as "the shoe of the soul." Just as shoes protect feet from the dirt, so too does the soul require the body as a shoe to protect it during its journey in the physical world.
By Lorne Rozovsky
Shoes have always played a role in history and culture. Everyone knows the story of Cinderella and the glass slipper, or the tale of Puss and Boots. Remember Dorothy's magic ruby shoes in the Wizard of Oz?
Language is littered with references to shoes. We wait for the other shoe to drop, or try to experience life in another person's shoes. One has big shoes to fill when he takes on a new challenge. There is the phrase, "if the shoe fits, wear it."
Shoe design can indicate a person's wealth and social position, as reflected in the quality of material or the complexity of the workmanship used to make shoes. Shoes can show membership in a particular group, like cowboy boots or motorcycle boots. High heels make a social statement, as do a sensible pair of Oxfords. Celebrities are known for the number of pairs they own.
What one does with shoes also makes a statement. For example throwing shoes at someone is an insult.
What about Jews and shoes? The Song of Songs 7:2 reads, "How beautiful are thy feet in sandals." Shoes were considered to be so important that Rabbi Akiva instructed his son Joshua not to go barefoot. They were signs of sensuousness, comfort, luxury and pleasure.
The Talmud (Shabbat 129a) declares: "A person should sell the roof beams of his house to buy shoes for his feet."
According to the Code of Jewish law (the Shulchan Aruch), when putting on shoes, the right shoe goes on first. When tying shoes. the left shoe is tied first. When shoes are taken off, the left shoe comes off first. This custom is based on the belief that the right is more important than the left. Therefore, the right foot should not remain uncovered while the left is covered. Shoes should be tied from the left since knotted teffilin is worn on the left arm.
Since the tying of shoes is a reminder of the tying of teffilin, for those who are left handed, and who place the teffilin on their right arm, the right shoe should be tied first rather than the left, so that the tying of shoes matches the tying of teffilin.
There are times in Jewish life when the wearing of shoes is forbidden. When the priestly blessing is given in traditional synagogues, the kohanim remove their shoes outside the sanctuary before their hands are washed by the Levites and before giving the priestly blessing. Removing the shoes avoids the possibility of embarrassment in the event that one of the kohanim has a torn shoe lace and remains behind to tie his shoes while his brethren are blessing the congregation.
There is also a custom amongst certain chassidic groups to remove their (leather) shoes before approaching the gravesite of a holy person. This tradition goes back to the command to Moses when he approached the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:5), "Remove your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground"
On the historic day of mourning, Tisha b'Av, Jews are prohibited from wearing leather shoes. The same prohibition applies on Yom Kippur to show remorse and penance.
In the Book of Isaiah (20:2), Isaiah is commanded to remove his sandals as a sign of mourning. Shoes also play a part in the mourning period after a death. During the period of shiva, the seven days of mourning, leather shoes may not be worn. In Talmudic times, both the pall bearers and the mourners went barefoot.
If the support of a leather shoe is necessary for medical reasons, the preservation of health overrules the prohibition. If someone has to leave the house, leather shoes may be worn, but they should be removed when the person returns home for shiva. If the mourner is going to synagogue for services during shiva, leather may also be worn, though the shoes should be removed at the synagogue.
In all of these exceptions, an unusual practice is required. When the wearing of leather is permitted, a little earth or pebble is placed in the shoes to remind the wearer that they are in mourning.
The question of shoes also arises in Jewish burials. The body of the deceased may be wearing shoes, but only if the shoes are made of linen or cotton. Most Jews are buried in a shroud which covers the feet, so the issue never arises.
Of all the Jewish customs involving shoes, the most unusual and fascinating is that of the laws of halitzah. Going back to Deuteronomy (25:5-9), when a married man dies childless, leaving an unmarried brother, the brother is obligated to marry his widowed sister-in-law. The rationale for what was called a levirate marriage was to continue the name, the assets and the soul of the deceased brother through the subsequent marriage and children.
Reference to this practice is also found in the Book of Ruth 3:4 when Naomi instructs Ruth to go to the granary at night, lie next to Boaz and to uncover his feet.
The brother could also opt to release her to marry someone else. This is the ceremony of halitzah. The widow and her brother-in-law appear before a rabbinical court, a beth din, consisting of five members. The brother-in-law wears on his right foot what is known as the halitzah shoe. This special shoe is made from the skin of a kosher animal and consists of two pieces sown together with leather threads. It must not contain metal and is designed like a moccasin with long straps.
The widow declares that her brother-in-law refuses to marry her, and he confirms it as directed in Deuteronomy (25:7 and 9). She then places her left hand on his calf, undoes the laces with her right hand, removes the shoe from his foot, throws it to the ground, and spits on the ground in front of him. The beth din then recites the formula releasing all obligations.
The shoe is a symbol of the transaction. This tradition is part of the color and romance of Jewish tradition and life.
It is also part of the spiritual tradition. The Kabbalists describe the body as "the shoe of the soul." Just as shoes protect feet from the dirt, so too does the soul require the body as a shoe to protect it during its journey in the physical world.
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