Define: Blog

(from Wiktionary):

blog
... website in which the author writes their opinions, impressions, etc. ... and receive[s] reactions and comments about them [emphasis added].

I point this out because it seems that my readers, except for Jessi, have missed this point. Of course, I suspect my readers are mostly web crawlers and bots, probably from Google, but still, SOMEONE should be commenting, right?

I've just returned from Stockholm, Sweden, where I didn't encounter many Jews, but did speak to a friend who's dating an American Jew that lives with her in Stockholm now. She commented how the Swedish Jews erred on the side of devoutly observant, but those rituals were vapid. My friend seemed to think it would make more sense to observe a more relaxed Judaism but focus on the meaning, and I couldn't agree more.

Observation of rituals you don't understand doesn't make you more Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. Understanding what it means to be a part of those faiths and internalizing that is what it's all about. Judaism is a framework of moral living and a culture connecting us to a long and deep past. Understanding and following that is what it's all about.

Discuss amongst yourselves...

I'd like to mention two topics that came up in the past few days that I thought y'all might want to discuss. As for use of "y'all," I invoke my 25% Southern background and attendance at a Hee Haw last night.

First, what defines Jewish community? This seems to come up a lot on this blog, being it's central topic, but a recent hot debate is very central to the current discussion. I feel I like this article from Aish.com covers the topic well - a debate has been sparked as to whether the key to Judaism is Israel, Jewish observance, or what - as I've said, I feel it's BEING Jewish, as defined by the Jewish community with which we associate.

The next question I pose in today's post is whether social action at all costs is properly Jewish? It seems that Jews very eagerly take up causes: civil rights, humanitarian aid (e.g. Darfur), etc. However, is this the best way to help others, and for that matter, is the help even welcome? If you doubt that this is how Jews are perceived, I refer you to Sheila Broflovski. I personally subscribe to what a colleage once referred to as the "pigeon model": hold out the grain, and let them come to you. When people want our help, we simply need to be sure they know it's available. The rabbis teach us that tzedakah, Hebrew for righteousness, although often translated as "charity," is best given anonymously on both sides, e.g. by leaving a collection box outside your home that people can donate to and/or take from as they need. There's extensive materials to this end, so I refer you to Talmud and Maimonides (a.k.a. Rambam, RMBM, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon) for more.

That's two heavy topics for y'all to mull over. Enjoy!

"Subscribe" to Kehilla NYC

You can now subscribe to the Kehilla NYC blog at Google Groups. All postings on the blog will automatically be sent to the Group, and it may also facilitate other discussion. So, enjoy!

Reflections from Mother's Day

As we all know, yesterday was Mother's Day. What you may not know is that it was also the Festival of the Christian Home, which, as far as I can tell, is the Church name for Mother's Day, but which I suspect originally had some wonderful intent to expand the symbolism and meaning.

This wonderful occasion got me thinking not only how much I love the mothers in my life, but also how important mothers are to Judaism and religion in general. In Judaism, as many of you may know, the religion is passed down through the mother - I am a Jew because my mother was a Jew. Obviously, much talk has been spent my many more learned scholars than me on this topic, but I thought this was an interesting time to reflect on the idea.

In more ecumenical versions of Judaism, it is clearly accepted that if either parent is Jewish, then the child can be Jewish, going along with the rights of all persons to take on any role they choose. Nonetheless, Hallmark says we should thanks moms on this day and dads in a few weeks, so I guess that's what we'll do.

Happy Mother's Day!!

As a related topic, I was at Church with my wife yesterday and couldn't help being moved by many of the messages I heard. Obviously, I'm a Jew, but that doesn't at all negate the spiritual experience I have at a United Methodist church. I am increasingly recognizing that institutionalized religion has drawn lines where there may not be any - spirituality, i.e. connecting with a higher force (called by myself and many others God), is probably universal, and there are likely many roads that lead there. Anyone want to talk about how institutionalized religions can best work within this reality? If a religion admits it's not the only way to find God, etc., then does it lose value, or gain it?

Kosher Wine and HTML Links

I like wine. I mean, I REALLY like wine. In fact, I often attend wine tastings. My wife also loves wine, and has recently begun exploring an interest in cheese. As such, we've recently attended several wine & cheese events, including some run by Murray's Cheese (in cooperation with The Cornell Club, HSBC Premier, and Astor Wines), and we hope to also soon return to one of our favorite restaurants, Artisanal, for similar culinary experiences. We also often attend wine tastings at stores (e.g. Cellar 72 and Best Cellars), restaurants, and the homes of friends.

This introduction raises several questions. First, why do I put so many links in my posts? Well, it's because I believe the entire strength of HTML is the ability to cross-reference in this manner. Plus, it should help stimulate discussion, as there's a bunch of things there to explore and then post about. For those that missed it, that was a subtle way of saying, "post comments!!!"

The second question is that, as a wine lover, do I drink kosher wine? The answer is that on Jewish holidays, yes, I do. However, I avoid Manischewitz and Kedem. There's plenty of other good kosher wines from the U.S. (e.g. Baron Herzog and Hagafen), France (e.g. Fortant and Château de Paraza), Australia (e.g. Teal Lake), and even Israel (e.g. Tishbi). Especially in NYC, it's very easy to find them, and I would like to encourage Jewish wine lovers to abandon their distaste for kosher wine.

More on what Judaism is...

I currently am a member of a Reform synagogue, the Temple of Universal Judaism. While I am not 100% satisfied with everything that happens there (in fact, one of the things I like about TUJ and Reform Judaism as a whole is the right to disagree), I have gotten several quality nuggets out of my interactions there. Over the past few weeks, a few in particular seemed interesting enough to share:

1. Is Judaism about social action? Certainly, Jews are often active in effecting social change - they instituted successful screening for hereditary diseases (e.g. Tay-Sachs), they fight racism and genocide around the world (e.g. Darfur, Sudan), many advocate peace in the Middle East, and Jews are generally a cohesive and powerful political force. But is this what Judaism is all about? I leave this discussion open for now, as I'm not sure - certainly we are obligated to help heal the world (tikkun olam), but I worry about making this a central element of Jewish practice for fear of losing sight of the major guiding ethics and principles.

2. Is Judaism about the environment? Sure, we need to save our planet, especially since for the time being it's the only one we have. However, again, I wonder if this is central to what Judaism is all about, or just one of the many things for which we as a people have chosen to fight, rightly so.

3. Is Judaism about money, guilt, or food? Well, those certainly seem to be popular themes, but I think I can reject these outright in terms of centrality. I just wish my parents would understand that - I seem to daily have to explain why I'm not making money as a future doctor, why I don't visit more often, and why I don't need any more food sent to store in my undersized kitchen.

Sidebar: Maybe Judaism is about the environment AND food? Check out this, forwarded to me by the Rabbi at TUJ.

4. Is Judaism about who looks the best, throws the best parties, etc.? I think this relates directly to 3 and I need not say much more.

5. Is Judaism all about the Bible? Well, certainly the Bible is an important source of inspiration and guidance, but is that the only way to know God, and for that matter is knowing God the only thing that matters about being Jewish? Certainly not, given that we have Talmud and many other sources, and that agnostic Jews are still considered Jewish?

6. Is Judaism about Community? I think this is what it IS all about. As I've said before, being part of something that is called Judaism is what makes us Jewish. However that may be defined, be it saving Darfur, not eating meat, or studying the Bible, it's all Judaism, and what matters is being a part of it. Some say that God is simply the manifestation of a collective human consciousness. If that's so, then the more of us that come together, the more of God that is present.

I would love to hear what others think about all this. I am open to changing my mind, to discussing any of my points, or simply to hearing similar debates. Please, engage me, as that's what community is all about!

Community and Judaism

Okay, so now, twenty-four hours into the life of this blog, I've been asked to expand on why I've started it. Well, here goes....

Why I started this blog:

Judaism is a religion, a culture, and an ethnicity, and in all three contexts exists predominantly as a majority - only in Israel is this not the case, and that is a recent and contentious phenomenon, so Judaism is far from stable. Additionally, Judaism has always changed with the times. It was born out of a polytheistic past, evolved into a religion centered on the land and a Temple, then later became a religion scatterred about the world, facing one crisis after another. The Judaism we practice today, no matter our denomination, is different from the Judaism of any past period, and I'm sure from any period yet to come.

So, how do we define ourselves as Jews? Well, the traditional answer is that your a Jew by blood or by conversion, but it must go deeper than that. To even accept the idea of conversion there must be principles and ideas that define what Judaism is. Those ideas have never been constant, and with few exceptions haven't ever been unanimously accepted either (ask six rabbis for an opinion, you'll get at least seven answers, and a WHOLE lot of explanation). The bottom line is that Judaism defines itself the same way many communities do - via common consensus within the community. Thus, to "feel Jewish," I wanted to be sure I had a community that could validate my religious and cultural practices, whatever they may be at any given time.

With that said, I can't ignore the most important reason I really started this blog. Okay, great, we can define ourselves as Jews this way. More importantly, we can explore the common bond we all share - a Jew anywhere in the world feels tied to every other Jew. While many of us mingle with non-Jews frequently (I myself am married to a United Methodist), we still seek those Jewish ties. We seek a place to be Jewish. To that end, all of us in this community, Jew and non-Jew alike, now have a place to share ideas, discuss our lives, learn more about what it means to be a Jew, and just generally kibitz.

Language and Community

Jessi raises an interesting thought in her comment to my previous post. Language is certainly one way community has been fostered in the past (please feel free to cite your favorite example in comments). However, a central question about American Jewry arises as a result - is Hebrew essential to modern American Jews? I'd say it does promote a sense of community, but that it need not be central. I feel a service conducted in English that abides by Jewish philosophy and theology is still very much Jewish, especially if someone disagrees with it. ;-)

Seriously, however, I think this is something worth talking about. I use a little touch of Hebrew and Yiddish here and there, but not as a rule. I mean, Hebrew as we know it didn't even exist 200 years ago! For almost 2000 years Jews did services in their own local language, and as far as I can tell it worked for them. Besides, Reform Judaism teaches that we are part of a larger society and community, and our daily lives need not be dictated by Judaism itself, so English is okay in our world. This is NOT to diminish other Jewish traditions, but simply to validate one in which English is central.

Shalom!

To start off this blog, I've decided to dedicate a schpiel to why I italicize Hebrew words. The answer is quite simple - they're in a foreign language, and style guides say you're supposed to italicize foreign words. Besides, it makes it obvious that the word is foreign and prevents confusion - I've certainly had times when someone used a Hebrew word but I thought it was simply a fancy English word, only to find that no English dictionary had the word. Then I begain questioning if I'd missed something, or if it was misspelled, or what. So, I don't like that - confusion is bad.