tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16539923685467795742024-02-19T01:34:49.740-06:00Notes from a Jewish ThoreauMusings, insights, stories and nature observations from a Hasidic Jew living in the Great North Woods.
<br>(And respectfully seeking to help my fellow Jews recover from "Nature Deficit Disorder.")Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-42319442810416058052022-08-17T08:31:00.000-05:002022-08-17T08:31:17.680-05:00Quest for a photo ID<p><br /></p><p>My 18-year-old grandson needed a photo ID. Here's what it took to get one. (And why requiring a photo ID to vote is a bad idea.)</p><p>I first drove him to the DMV office, where he learned that his hospital birth certificate was not sufficient. He needed a certified one from the county courthouse. And needed a Social Security card. He knew his number, but the card was lost, probably still with his now-absent mother. (Last time we heard, she was somewhere in Duluth.)</p><p>Luckily he was born right here in Pine County, so we drove to the courthouse to get the birth certificate. Which he could not sign for because he doesn't have a photo ID. I could not sign for it because I am not his biological grandfather. So his Dad had to go there a couple days later to get it.</p><p>Now for the Social Security card. For that, he had to prove his identity. I called their office and sat on hold for an hour. Really. Eventually I got a real live human on the line, and we went down the list of documents they would accept to get a replacement card. Most were things he did not have, but they said he could use a medical record from the doctor. So, next day, we went to the clinic and got that. He filled out the application and mailed it in. A week later he got his new card. Which was a blessing, because the website warned that it could take a month or more.</p><p>Now for proof of residence. He needed two things that proved he lived there. Of course, being an 18 year old kid who lives with his Dad, he doesn't have utility bills, rent receipts, property tax docs, a mortgage, etc. But he did have some pieces of mail sent to him at that address, including the envelope from Social Security. </p><p>Now armed with all this, we went back to DMV. Turns out he didn't need proof of residence for a regular ID, only for the higher security Real ID needed for boarding planes, etc. Since he won't be flying anywhere soon, for now he got the regular lD. All this took us two months. If he had been born out of state, it would have taken much longer to get the birth certificate. Which is why requiring a photo ID to vote can -- and often does -- end up preventing people from voting. Not everyone can track down all these documents.</p><p><br /></p>Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-37951437979471463992021-04-25T10:39:00.011-05:002022-02-28T07:29:33.459-06:00My 1997 Uman Pilgrimage to Rebbe Nachman's Grave <p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0x12pv0d0BoZpNWVALd0LH2CX1bVCfpgot9cK3d8KP_V7VNoLY_HKrixrWNJEm22HEMbTl8GtLFpytlFf-WbFhtrAQlel7lM9e6GrM5ly1DCZgGxeYU-qDmCuz9wgFIaUrdLvtitMpko/s544/Tashlich+in+Uman+by+Yonassan+Gershom.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="544" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0x12pv0d0BoZpNWVALd0LH2CX1bVCfpgot9cK3d8KP_V7VNoLY_HKrixrWNJEm22HEMbTl8GtLFpytlFf-WbFhtrAQlel7lM9e6GrM5ly1DCZgGxeYU-qDmCuz9wgFIaUrdLvtitMpko/w410-h164/Tashlich+in+Uman+by+Yonassan+Gershom.gif" width="410" /></a></div><br /><p></p><center style="background-color: white;"><h1>JOURNEY TO UMAN</h1><h2>Rosh Hashanah 5758 (1997)</h2><h3>by Yonassan Gershom</h3></center><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>My pilgrimage to Uman really began in the mid-1970's, when I first read <a href="https://archive.is/o/aDkw/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachman_of_Breslov">Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's </a>promise to be a heavenly advocate for anyone who would make this journey:</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big><i>Whoever comes to my gravesite [in Uman, Ukraine] recites the Ten Psalms of the Tikkun K'lali (General Remedy), and gives even as little as a penny to charity for my sake, then, no matter how serious his sins may be, I will do everything in my power -- spanning the length and breadth of Creation -- to cleanse and protect him. By his very payos (sidecurls) I will pull him out of Gehenna (purgatory)! (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom #141).</i></big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>"By his very payos I will pull him out of Gehenna!" the Rebbe had said. I really took that to heart. For many years I have joked that this is why I have such long sidecurls -- because when my time comes after 120 years, I want the Rebbe to be able to get a good grip!</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>But on the serious side, Gehenna does not have to be a hellish place somewhere in the afterlife -- it can also be experienced right here on earth. My life up to that point had been hellish indeed, and there were many problems in my own personal Gehenna that I could not seem to overcome. Something about the Rebbe's promise deeply touched my heart, and set me on a course which led me to Uman in 1997. So my pilgrimage really did begin on that day over two decades [as of 1997] ago, when I first longed to make the journey.</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>A bit of history....</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Who was Rabbi Nachman? He was the great-grandson of <a href="https://archive.is/o/aDkw/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Eliezer">Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer,</a> better known as the Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name), founder of Hasidism. Rabbi Nachman was born in 1772 in what is now the Ukrainian Republic, and is the founder of the <a href="https://archive.is/o/aDkw/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breslov">Breslov Hasidic </a>movement. Unfortunately, he contracted tuberculosis at a time when there was no cure, and died of this disease in 1810, at the young age of 38. A few months before his death, he expressed the desire to be buried in Uman, among the thousands of Jews who had been martyred there. Rebbe Nachman passed away on the fourth day of Sukkot, October 16, 1810, and, according to his instructions, was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Uman, Ukraine.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>The first pilgrimage to the gravesite was led by his chief disciple, Reb Nosson, in the spring of 1811. From that point on, it became customary for Breslover Hasidim to try to make the journey at least once in their lifetime. Although this pilgrimage could be made at any time of the year, the main gathering was always at Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year). "Uman, Uman, Rosh Hashanah!" became the rallying cry for Breslovers to gather on this holy day.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>However, at the time I heard about Uman in the 1970's, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, and the Cold War was in full force. It was almost impossible for anyone to make a pilgrimage to Uman. I say "almost impossible," because a few Breslover Hasidim did manage to get to Uman during the Communist regime -- at great expense and risk to themselves. Back then, it was necessary to travel all the way to Kiev just to apply for a visa -- and one was as likely as not to be refused. Even if a visa was granted, it was only to go there and back in a single day. To stay overnight in Uman -- and especially for Rosh Hashanah -- was not permitted by the Soviet authorities. And so, for me, traveling to Uman remained but a dream.</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>After the fall of Communism...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">In 1989, with the fall of Communism, the possibility opened up for Breslovers to once again openly travel to Uman. I first heard about this while spending Rosh Hashanah with a Breslov community in Brooklyn that same year. For over a decade I had been reading whatever I could find about Rebbe Nachman, and felt a very close personal relationship to his spirit. But, because I lived in the Midwest where there are no Breslov communities, and because I had very little money for personal travel, I had never had any contact with the present-day community.</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Then in 1989, because of a speaking engagement on the East Coast the previous week, it was possible for me to spend Rosh Hashanah with Breslover Hasidim in New York. This was all the more exciting to me because, at the time I had first heard of Rebbe Nachman in the 1970's, I was not even sure that there were still Breslov communities around. During the Nazi time, over 14,000 Jews were deported from Uman to the camps. The hauntingly beautiful tune to <i>Ani Maamin </i>("I Believe"), which we now associate with the Holocaust, is attributed to Breslov, and was sung in obedience to Rebbe Nachman's teaching to "Never despair! Never give up hope!" But by the end of World War II, less than 150 Breslovers had survived. So it took a few decades for the community to recover and begin doing outreach again.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>I returned home from Brooklyn filled with joy and more certain than ever that Breslov was indeed my path, and that Rabbi Nachman was my Rebbe. I tried, as best as I could, to follow his teachings, especially by making hisboddidus (personal private prayer) which I had already been doing since childhood, long before I ever heard of it as a "Breslov" teaching. Now I took it on with greater intensity as a daily spiritual practice.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>I also began to recite the Ten Psalms (16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, and 150 in that order) recommended by the Rebbe for his <i>Tikkun K'lali </i>(General Remedy). While in Brooklyn I had learned that Breslovers try to recite them every day, not just at the Rebbe's grave. So I began to do the same -- mostly in English, since I am dyslexic and my Hebrew-reading skills are rather weak. But I knew a nice, happy tune to Psalm 150, so it became my personal practice to end my recitation by singing that Psalm in Hebrew and, if nobody else was looking, to even dance around a bit. This practice sustained me through many a crisis!</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>I also continued to study the Rebbe's writings, which meant reading the same few books over and over again, because Breslov materials were difficult to find in Minnesota. Then came the Internet -- and with it, access to a lot of people and resources. Now, at last, I could be in regular contact with Hasidim who actually practiced this path. From then on, as I traveled around the country in connection with my work, I tried to stay with Breslovers whenever possible. Although, these encounters were few and far between, they greatly strengthened my commitment to the Rebbe's way.</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>An invitation to Berlin...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">Next came my trip to Germany in April 1997. I had been invited to Berlin for a conference on "Reincarnation and Karma," to speak about my two books on cases of reincarnation from the Holocaust. This would be my first trip to Europe and, when I mentioned it Ozer Bergman (a Breslov internet friend), he immediately suggested that I should try to make a side trip to Uman. Great idea -- but my schedule was so tight for that trip, that it just did not work out. How frustrating, to be so near and yet so far!</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>It is a Breslov axiom that as soon as one makes the commitment to go to Uman (or do any other good deed), obstacles arise from the <i>yetzer hara</i> (side of negativity) which try to stop you. It is also a Breslov axiom that one should never give up or allow these obstacles to get in the way of achieving the goal. The obstacles are really tests which the <i>yetzer hara</i> throws up to try to discourage us from doing mitzvot (commandments, good deeds.) The more holy the activity, the bigger the stumbling blocks that the <i>yetzer hara</i> puts in the way. So when these obstacles come up, it is a sure sign that you are on the right track -- and must forge ever onward at all costs.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Reb Nosson, Rebbe Nachman's closest disciple, once said, <i>Even if the road to Uman were paved with knives, I would crawl there -- just so I could be with my Rebbe on Rosh Hashanah!</i> (Tovot Zichronot p. 137)</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Luckily, I did not have to crawl over a trail of knives, thank heavens! While in Berlin, I learned that a Dutch translation of my book <i>Beyond the Ashes </i>would be coming out in the fall of that same year. The Dutch publisher asked if it would be possible for me to come back to Europe in mid-September, to attend a multi-cultural conference in Bad Gandersheim, Germany, and also promote the book in Amsterdam. The publisher would pay my travel expenses and the German conference would pay an honorarium.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>When I looked at my calendar there in Berlin, I could hardly believe my eyes -- that trip would get me to Europe two weeks before Rosh Hashanah! The real miracle was the perfect timing. In most years, Rosh Hashanah is already over by mid-September. But in 5758 (1997) it came very late, beginning on the evening of October first. If I went to Holland and Germany, I would have two weeks to somehow get myself to Uman. So of course, I said "yes" to the invitation! And once I made that commitment, a series of events led to many people helping me get to "the Rebbe's Zion" in Uman.</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>Overcoming obstacles...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">But there were also serious obstacles to overcome -- obstacles that I shall describe in some detail here, in order to show how everything worked out in the end, and thereby give courage to others who may want to make the trip. The obstacles are an important part of the journey -- they are really spiritual tests to see how sincere you are about going. In my case, I believe these tests played a big part in cleansing my heart and preparing me for arrival in Uman.</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>But back to my story: I now had a way to get to Europe, which was a major breakthrough. But I still faced the challenge of getting a visa to Ukraine. Nowadays you do not have to go all the way to Kiev first, but there is still a lot of red tape, and the rules change all the time, so what I'm about to describe may be obsolete tomorrow. As of this writing, one cannot simply show up at the border as a tourist -- I had to have an invitation from a Ukrainian citizen or group in advance, and I had to send my passport to the Ukrainian embassy in New York City in advance. I also had to pay $95 for the visa. All this can -- and should -- be arranged through a travel agent -- in my case, a Breslover named David Fried of Nesia Travel in in New York, who was most helpful in cutting the red tape.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>However, there was a major obstacle at one point when the Ukrainian embassy was telling us that we would all have to pay in advance for hotel rooms in Kiev -- an outrageous demand, since we were not staying in Kiev, and there are no hotels in Uman! (We'll get to the housing arrangements later.) I could barely afford the trip itself, and paying for useless hotel rooms was out of the question. If they insisted on this, I might not be able to go...</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Things were getting down to the bottom line, because it was already mid-July, and I was leaving for Europe on September 7th. I was seriously worried that not only would I not get a visa, if I sent my passport to the embassy in New York and there was a delay, I might not get it back in time to go to Europe at all. So I spent many intensive hours in hisboddidus, walking in the woods by our farm and talking to G-d about this, begging, pleading for things to work out. And -- miracle of miracles! -- the embassy suddenly removed the demand for pre-paid hotel rooms, and I finally could get a visa.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Meanwhile, the United Parcel Service had gone on strike, so I could not simply trot down to the UPS office in my town to send my passport off to New York. I would have to send it by Federal Express, and the nearest Fed-Ex office was in Duluth, which is 65 miles away. Because of the overload of business from the UPS strike, the Fed-Ex people were not picking up packages -- you had to take them to the office yourself. That meant a special last-minute trip to drive to Duluth, send the passport by express, and hope that it would not get lost in the huge backlog. I prayed a lot that night!</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Thank heavens, everything went OK. In a little over a week, I had my passport back, along with my visa. In the meantime, I had been investigating various possibilities for flights from Europe to Kiev. Unfortunately, I was about 2000 frequent flyer miles short from having a free ticket from KLM Airlines out of Amsterdam. So I decided to meet up with a Breslov group going out of Paris. The cost was $460 (including the bus from Kiev to Uman and back), and by a "coincidence" I had just gotten $500 from a speaking engagement in Washington DC. I was about to send in this money for the plane reservation, when a very generous person -- may he be forever blessed! -- decided that, since he could not go to Uman himself, he would help me get there donating $500! That paid for the plane ticket and freed up money for other expenses. As it turned out, I did need that extra money because of even more obstacles...</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>Surviving in Europe on less than a shoestring...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">Next, I had to figure out what I was going to do for two weeks in Europe between the end of the conference in Germany and the time my plane left Paris on September 30th. I am not a rich man, and was traveling on less than a shoestring, so spending two weeks in hotel rooms was out of the question. There are those who would say it is sheer folly to go to a foreign country with so little cash in hand. In practical terms, they are right -- but when it comes to Uman, who is being practical?</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>I had assumed I could get some more speaking engagements in Europe to cover the travel costs, but the timing was all wrong, and nothing seemed to be working out, except for the original invitation to the German conference. Even that had its moments of panic, because when I got there, I found out that there had been a big misunderstanding about my honorarium, and the money was not at the conference. I had been counting on that money for my living expenses, and now faced the possibility of not being paid on time.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Not to worry -- it all came out right in the end, and a new song was even born from it! As I wandered in the woods at the retreat center in Bad Gandersheim, making hisboddidus about how I was going to survive if the money did not come through, I began to repeat "Uman, Uman -- Rosh Hashanah!" over and over like a mantra. Not the usual Breslov tune, just those four words. At some point, it became a chant-like round, which lifted up my heart in joy.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Meanwhile, the conference organizers decided to pass the hat (literally -- they used mine!) in order to get me some traveling money. People were very generous, and although it was less money that I had been promised in the beginning, it would be enough to get me by. In return, I taught them my new tune, so now there were Germans, Dutchmen and others walking around singing "Uman, Uman, Rosh Hashanah" to help me on my way.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>There was also more practical help. I got a ride from the conference to Berlin, which saved me some train fare, and various friends I had met in Germany from the previous trip provided me with places to stay. In Stuttgart, another group of Germans invited me to lead a discussion about my books, then took up a collection to help with my expenses. So it all worked out for the best.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Rebbe Nachman once said: <i>I have already made it my business to take care of the expenses of those who come to me for Rosh Hashanah. </i>(Siach Sarfei Kodesh 1-27.) By the time I left Berlin, I had decided that this meant I had to have faith that my day-to-day survival would be taken care of. But on the other hand, I should not expect to make any profit from this trip. After all, a pilgrimage is for God and not for business. With that, I began to live "one day at a time" and leave the rest in HaShem's hands.</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>Amazing coincidences...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">One rather strange incident gave me a big affirmation that, in spite of all these problems, I was on the right trail after all. When I first arrived in Amsterdam on September 7th, my Dutch host took me to a kosher restaurant called "Carmel." There we were met by some other people from the Dutch publishing house, along with a man who had read my book and wanted to meet with me privately. Time was tight, so we agreed he would drive me to the next place on my schedule, and we could talk in the car.</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>On the way, he suddenly decided "on a whim" that he wanted to introduce me to some Russian Jewish friends. So we stopped there -- and it turned out they were celebrating their wedding anniversary. I was immediately invited in for some food and a shot of vodka, which I toasted to the family. They asked me where I was from and where I was going, and -- here is the amazing part -- they were originally from a place near Uman!</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Nor was this the only time I met people from Uman. In Stuttgart I spent Shabbos in a hotel next door to the synagogue. There was a bar mitzvah that week, and everyone was invited to the lunch afterward, so of course I stayed. As "coincidence" would have it, I ended up sitting next to a German Jewish man whose wife was a Ukrainian Jew from Uman! She told me to be sure to see the Sophia Park because it was very beautiful. (I did and it was -- more on that later.)</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>So, although there were financial hassles, there were also reassuring signs which said, "Uman, Uman, Rosh Hashanah!" My determination became stronger then ever to get there, by all means! While on the road, I celebrated the Baal Shem Tov's birthday with Lubovitchers, went hiking in the Black Forest with a German friend, and sampled a wide variety of beers at the Constatter Folkfest. Then it was on to Paris by train to meet my plane to Kiev.</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>In Paris, more tests and challenges...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">Finding the plane was a test in itself, because Charles DeGaulle Airport is really two separate airports, and both are huge. When I left the USA I had confirmation of being on the flight, but the man co-ordinating the group had forgotten to give me the flight number or even the name of the airline! He then went out of town for a week, and I had visions of myself wandering around the airport looking for other people dressed in Hasidic garb -- which might have worked, since we were conspicuous! But after a few frantic faxes and e-mails, I did get the flight information before reaching Paris.</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>It had been my intent to buy kosher food in Paris to take with me on the trip because, although I am not a fanatic about it, I prefer a vegetarian diet. (At home we use no meat or fowl in our kitchen.) It has been my experience that most Hasidic gatherings are very meat-oriented, and I was told that vegetables are difficult to obtain in Ukraine. On the road I'll eat meat to survive, but I much prefer not to. So my plan was to arrive in Paris, go to the kosher shops, and get my own food to take with me.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>But when my train arrived in Paris, I discovered that the airport was another 40-minute train ride outside of the city. My flight left at 7:00 AM the next day, which meant being at the airport at 6:00 -- too early for taking a train from the city. So I had better find a hotel near the airport. By the time I did that and got checked in, it was already too late to go back into Paris and shop. So there I was, resigned to eating in the meat-oriented dining hall in Uman, or else fasting. But I remembered Rebbe Nachman's words that, <i>Whether you eat or don't eat; whether you sleep or don't sleep; whether you pray or don't pray -- just make sure you are with me for Rosh Hashanah! </i>(Tzaddik #404)</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>The next morning, I took the hotel shuttle to the airport, only to discover that I had the wrong flight time -- the plane did not leave until 9:30! Which meant I could have stayed at a hotel in the city, done my shopping, and had plenty of time to make my connection. So why was I being put through this hassle of going to Uman with no food? There must be some reason for it, I decided...</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>About an hour later, other Hasidim began to show up at the gate, and when we had a minyan we said Shacharit (morning prayers). On the same flight was an American Jew named Daniel who now lives near Bordeaux, France. We decided to sit together, since we were apparently the only English-speaking Jews on the plane. It turned out that he was a farmer, so we had a lot in common.</big></p><big style="background-color: white;"><big style="font-weight: bold;">From Kiev to Uman...</big></big><div><span style="font-size: 23.04px;"><b><br /></b></span><div><span style="background-color: white;"></span><big style="background-color: white;">Upon arrival in Kiev, there was a long, slow line as we went through passport control and customs. Then a more-than-four-hour-long ride to Uman, in an old red bus that ground its gears every time we went up a hill. At times Daniel and I wondered if the bus was going to make it all the way to Uman without blowing its transmission. But we had a great time looking out the window at the Ukrainian countryside and speculating about what crops were grown there. The land looked rich and fertile, but the agriculture was clearly primitive -- in many cases, people were still using horses to haul hay, and drawing water from the well in buckets.</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Along the road we also saw people selling everything from potatoes to meat to tires. With the collapse of Communism, the Ukrainians are now free to sell their own goods, but have few ways to market or distribute their produce. A lot of bartering takes place, because nobody has much hard cash. The average Ukrainian, I was told, makes the equivalent of about $20-25 a month.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>At last, at last -- arrival in Uman! When the bus pulled into town, everyone on board suddenly burst into a chorus of "Uman, Uman -- Rosh Hashanah!" We were ready to rush joyfully into the streets -- but unfortunately, we had to wait more than an hour on the bus while the authorities checked our passports again, and carefully wrote down our names. The process was interminably slow, and I thought my bladder was going to burst. I learned later that the organizers of the pilgrimage have to pay a per capita tax to the town of Uman for each Jew who comes -- nor was this the only extortion connected with this trip. Everything you might have heard about the Russian Mafia is true and more so. But all that was nothing compared to the joy of having reached my goal -- I was finally in UMAN!</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>To the Rebbe's gravesite...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">When Daniel and I got off the bus, we were met by Rabbi Chaim Kramer and Ozer Bergman, who both welcomed us heartily and took us to our accommodations, then to the Rebbe's gravesite. Even at that hour -- by now it was around 11:00 at night -- there was an incredibly high level of activity at the grave. I wish that I could say I had the presence of mind to say "Shehechiyanu" -- the prayer which thanks G-d for having "preserved us, kept us alive, and brought us safely to this time." But the only thing out of my mouth was, "I can't believe I'm really here!!!!" Which was indeed a prayer of thanks from the depths of my heart! I had finally made it to the "Rebbe's Zion."</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>The Breslover Hasidim now own the land where the gravesite is. The Jewish cemetery was destroyed by the Nazis, but a loyal follower named Zavel Lubarski had kept track of the exact location of the grave. He then built a house designed in such a way that the outer wall ran alongside the grave itself. This was covered with an unmarked slab in the back yard. Over the years, the house was constantly occupied by people who knew about the grave and respected it as a holy place. A real miracle!</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Today [1997] there is a large block of granite for a gravestone, covered with an embroidered cloth that is, in turn, covered with plastic to protect it from thousands of hands. There is also a makeshift roof over the area, and benches for sitting to pray or recite the Psalms. Future plans include building a more permanent, dignified structure, along with a synagogue and a mikveh (ritual bath).</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>An estimated 7000+ Hasidim were there for the pilgrimage (only the Ukrainian police know for sure, since they counted us all) -- not only Breslovers, but also Satmars, Belzers, Gerers, plus a lot of Sephardim, Israelis, and Jews of all kinds who were just curious. It was a most incredible mix of dress, ranging from the Satmars in knee-length pants, white stockings, and long black coats, to more "hip" types in blue jeans and sweatshirts, to Yerushalamis in white knitted skullcaps with a tassel on top. Breslov has no "uniform" like some other Hasidic groups, and we pride ourselves on this diversity.</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>Sharing our stories around the table...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">As already explained, I had resigned myself to eating in the communal dining hall, but when I asked about how to register, Rabbi Kramer invited me to eat at his table instead, to be with the people from Breslov Research Institute. I already knew of Rabbi Kramer through reading his books and a brief correspondence, so I was delighted to accept the invitation. Aha, I said to myself, This is why I was not able to go shopping in Paris. Had I brought food, I would probably have just eaten on my own. Instead, I found myself sitting at a table in the heart of the English-speaking community, with many opportunities to talk with people who have been Breslovers for decades. Rabbi Kramer himself first made it to Uman during the Communist period -- and what a story that was!</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>It is the custom around Rabbi Kramer's table for each person to tell how he came to Breslov and how he got to Uman. An amazing set of tales indeed, with Jews from Israel, France, America, South Africa... and, of course, myself from Minnesota. I drank in these stories like a man who had been in the desert for years. Common to them all was the element of personal questing and searching for the Rebbe. A lot of these men had gone to very traditional yeshivas (Jewish religious schools) and were learned in Torah, but something was missing in their Jewish experience -- the element of a heartfelt personal relationship with God. This they had found in Breslov.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Rabbi Kramer said that Breslov is different from the other Hasidic groups, where one is usually born into it. A Satmar Hasid is a Satmar because his family is Satmar... But most Breslovers actively seek out Breslov, so we come from a lot of different backgrounds. It is, he said, like the cuckoo bird who lays her eggs in other birds' nests, but when those birds grow up, they seek out and join their own kind. In the same way, the Rebbe's Hasidim are sometimes born into strange situations, but when they hear the call of the Rebbe's voice, they know themselves to be Breslovers.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>This was certainly the case with me. As I wandered the streets of Uman, I looked back over my life and could see many points along the way when had I encountered Rebbe Nachman's teachings in the strangest places -- but always at just the right time. There was Zalman Schachter's hippie-style recording of "The Seven Beggars" from the 1970's, and Gedaliah Fleer's book, <i>Rebbe Nachman's Fire</i> which I found about that same time. Then there was the copy of <i>The Divine Conversation</i> by Rabbi Schick, which I found, of all places, at a garage sale in Minneapolis for 25 cents (best quarter I ever spent!) Not to mention many personal mystical experiences with hisboddidus (private prayer) which continued to affirm that I was on the right path.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>So, when it came my turn to tell about how I came to Breslov, I said quite truthfully that I've been a Breslover for at least two decades, only I had not made connections with the people until the last few years. But the Rebbe's voice had called me long ago...</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>Living conditions in Uman...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">If the spiritual energy in Uman was high, the physical conditions were spartan, to say the least -- most of the buildings were not heated, and the weather was quite chilly. There was running water only a couple hours a day sometimes, so we had to fill buckets in case the water gave out. Everything we ate -- including drinking water -- had to be brought in for purposes of kashrut (Jewish dietary laws), health and safety. Uman is not that far from Chernobyl, so we were not sure about drinking the water there.</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Rabbi Kramer had a sign up on the door (for a joke) that said, "Welcome to the Waldorf Astoria." (His "luxury hotel" actually had heat!) Life in Uman was primitive, but I was prepared for all this by the rural conditions that my wife and I are living under in northern Minnesota. We, too, have had times when the house was chilly and the plumbing did not work. So Uman was not such a big adjustment for me as it was for some of the Jews who had come straight out of the big city.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>The climate was about the same as Minnesota for that time of year -- cold and drizzly. I was very glad for the layers of warm clothing that I had been "uselessly" dragging with me all over the warmer parts of Europe for the past month. Those heavy black sweatpants and long underwear now came in very handy! So did the gloves, wool jacket, and knitted cap. If you ever decide to go, be prepared to dress warm! The "Minnesota layered look" was definitely in.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>The streets in Uman were paved -- well, sort of. They were badly in need of repair in some places and, with literally thousands of people tromping around, things got muddy fast. Uman mud is the heavy clay kind that gets all over everything. So I was also very thankful for the pair of Army combat boots I wore!</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>For most of the year, Uman is just a sleepy little stetl (country town), so the Breslov "advance team" has a job similar to setting up for Army maneuvers in finding everybody housing, food, etc. At this point in time, only the men make the Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage because of the total lack of privacy, but during the year, many women also go on other occasions. It is hoped that someday there will be hotel accommodations for families to go together, but right now, it is mostly a men's event. (My wife practically pushed me out the door to go -- we Breslovers believe the whole family benefits if even one member makes it to Uman.)</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>As I said, there are no hotels in Uman. (Well, actually there is one run-down old hotel left over from the Communist days, which I heard was full of roaches.) Many of the local Ukrainians sublet their apartments for the week -- the place where I stayed had 10 guys sleeping wall-to-wall on cots, paying about $20 each per night. That adds up to a whole year's income for the average Ukrainian family. So the Uman locals are glad to have found themselves in the middle of a major "tourist" event, even if it is a bunch of Jews who look like they just walked out of the 19th century.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>We were also well-protected by Ukrainian police and soldiers, just to be sure there were no "incidents." (There had been a terrorist threat against the U.S. Embassy that same week.) I had a chance to try my limited Russian with some of the soldiers, who were just ordinary guys on what they saw as easy duty, guarding these strange Jews who just laughed and danced and made no real trouble. </big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>Saying Psalms at the Rebbe's Zion...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">On the morning after I arrived, I went back to the Rebbe's grave to join in the morning minyan (prayer quorum). Prayers at the gravesite were intense and moving. Throughout the Rosh Hashanah gathering, at any time of the day or night, there is a crowd of Jews praying there, so that it is impossible to actually see the gravestone from afar. In order to get close enough to touch it, one must simply push his way in. But there were a few times when the crowd was only two or three people deep, and I was at last able to get to the gravestone itself for my personal prayers.</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>I gave my charity and said the Ten Psalms -- in Hebrew. I had planned to say them in English, because I thought it would be more from the heart in my native language. I had even brought an English version of the Tikkun K'lali (Ten Psalms) with me, but lost it in a train station, along with my prayerbook. (Hopefully, somebody found it who really needed it!) In Uman everything was written in Hebrew because the majority of participants were Israelis. There was not an English copy of Tikkun K'lali to be found at the gravesite or anywhere else. (So be forewarned and bring copies of whatever you want to read or study in your own language!)</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>I was disappointed at first to be unable to read them in English, but then I said to myself, "Look, you know the content of those Psalms, even if your Hebrew is not all that great. You have come all this way to say them here -- so why not just say them in Hebrew?"</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>So I did. And I have continued to say them in Hebrew ever since. That was one of the things which changed for me that Rosh Hashanah. Although I know Hebrew, it is always a struggle for me to read a text out loud because of my dyslexia. I even turn letters around in English -- so imagine a dyslexic trying to read a language which goes "backwards!" A definite challenge, to be sure!</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Over the years I have gotten very lazy about reading in Hebrew if I have an English text available, because I am embarrassed to be making so many silly mistakes. ("What -- him a scholar? He can't even read from the Torah properly...") But in Uman I finally got over my "Ugly Duckling" complex about my differently-abled ways of learning and just accepted myself for who I am.</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>Walking in Sophia Park...</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">On Wednesday afternoon -- the day before Rosh Hashanah -- Daniel and I went to the Sophia Park, where Rebbe Nachman used to walk when he lived in Uman. ("To be in Uman and not go there???" he once said.) It was every bit as beautiful as I had imagined it, although it was rather tame by Minnesota standards. Many of the waterfalls were man-made, and the trails were carefully edged with stones. Still, it was quite lovely, and one could see why Rebbe Nachman identified so deeply with being "the flowing brook, the source of wisdom" (Proverbs 18:4) and why he saw life as "just a narrow bridge." There were several little stone bridges that crossed deep ravines.</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Throughout the park, there were Hasidim walking along the trails and climbing or sitting on the rocks for private meditation. Many of the Israelis told me how wonderful it was to see all this greenery, because in Jerusalem, everything is brown and mostly desert. Once again, I was reminded how lucky I am to live in a place where all I have to do is walk out the door to be alone with nature!</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>My wife Caryl (Rachel), who loves rocks and stones, had asked me to bring her back a small stone from Uman. I had originally thought to take one from somewhere near the gravesite, but the reality is, that there was nothing but bits of cement and other man-made material there, because of the new construction. So I found her a stone in Sophia Park instead -- which was probably more appropriate anyway, because it was from a natural place where the Rebbe himself might have walked.</big></p><h3 style="background-color: white;"><big>Uman, Uman, Rosh Hashanah!</big></h3><div><big><br /></big></div><big style="background-color: white;">Rosh Hashanah came at last -- and what an incredible time it was! Although I had a seat in the big synagogue, [which back in 1997 was a converted warehouse, where we sat on primitive benches made of boards], I found myself wandering from place to place, saying morning prayers in one minyan and afternoon prayers in another. I experienced a wide variety of styles of davening (worship) as well as solitude when I needed it. I also had many opportunities to talk with Jews from all over the world.</big><span style="background-color: white;"></span><p style="background-color: white;"><big>More than once, somebody remarked to me what a miracle it was to be there, and how we might be souls of Breslovers from past centuries who had reincarnated in order to have the mitzvah of travelling to Uman. Looking around at the thousands of men in traditional garb who seemed to just "belong" on the streets of Uman, it was very easy to believe it. I myself had a number of deja-vu moments which made me wonder if I had been there before in another life.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>One of the most powerful moments was during Tashlich, when we all went to the river to symbolically "cast our sins into the sea." In Uman it was absolutely the most <i>incredible T</i>ashlich I have ever experienced -- literally thousands of Hasidim pouring down several roads to the river, lining the banks on both sides to say the special tashlich prayers. Some of the more adventurous souls -- including myself -- climbed up onto the rocks to say Tashlich from there. (It much is easier to throw your sins away from a great height!)</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Many Breslover Hasidim wear a kittel (white robe) on Rosh Hashanah as well as on Yom Kippur, and it was a magnificent sight to see so many Jews garbed in white, swaying and praying and dancing along the river banks. Some curious Ukrainians had gathered to watch, and I managed, using my halting Russian, a Ukrainian phrase book, and occasionally some mutual German, to exchange names and wish peace and freedom to a group of young people. A lot of the Jews were very negative about the Ukrainians, because of the antisemitic history of the town. I noticed that the elderly people did not give us much eye contact -- after all, they had seen the Nazis take the Jews away, and maybe even helped them do it. But I found the younger generation to be more open and trying to make some kind of human connection with us. My very few words of Ukrainian were appreciated, and smiles went a long way, too.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>Immediately after Rosh Hashanah came Shabbos (the Sabbath), when literally thousands of us sang "Lecha Dodi" together, with "ai-ai-ai" between each verse. Then we danced and sang for at least an hour in the makeshift building that served as a synagogue (unheated, but we had plenty of body heat crammed together -- and multiple layers of clothing to keep us warm.)</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>I have never in my life experienced a Shabbos like that! The big synagogue was crammed beyond capacity, and the rest of the people must have gone to other minyans (prayer groups) -- the Sephardim tended to have their own services, as did some of the other groups. Still other minyans were at the gravesite, etc. There simply was no place where all 7000 of us could gather under one roof.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>All too soon Shabbos was over, and Saturday night I began to pack my things to return to Kiev airport in the morning. Daniel and I had not seen anyone from the French group since we had arrived, and we had no idea which bus we were to take, or when it would be leaving. So we literally walked around shouting <i>"Parlez-vous Francais?" </i>until we finally found somebody from the Paris group who told us that the bus would be leaving at 7:00 AM. As it turned out, that information was not accurate either -- the bus did not come until 8:00. But at least it seemed to have gotten its gears repaired!</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>The trip back to the airport was uneventful, and we arrived in time to catch our plane. I slept much of the way back to Paris, having stayed at the Rebbe's grave until 2 AM the night before. From Paris it was back to Amsterdam for a few more days, and then home to Minnesota. My wife was eager to hear every detail, and I talked her ear off for the entire two hours from the airport to our farm.</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big>The positive effects of the pilgrimage have been many, some obvious and some more subtle. Rabbi Kramer told me in Uman that this experience would change my life forever, and he was right. In a strange way, the Rebbe really did pull me out of Gehenna -- many of my personal demons were conquered and thrown into the river along with my sins, never to return. My family and friends have remarked that I seem more centered, more at peace with myself. In addition, I feel even more connected to the Breslov community. Now, as I make<span style="font-style: italic;"> hisboddidus</span> (private prayer) along the wooded Minnesota trails in the early morning light, I often find myself dancing and singing, "Uman, Uman, Rosh Hashanah!"</big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big><br /></big></p><p style="background-color: white;"><big><b>(Update: </b> This was the one and only time I went to Uman. Never again would everything fall together for me in that way. I am happy with the experience I had, the memory of it remains alive to this day. To try and duplicate that experience would be a mistake, I think. I could return to the same geographical place, but as with all peak experiences, it would not be the same. As the saying goes, you can't step in the same river twice.)</big></p><p style="background-color: white;">© Copyright 1997, 2021 by Yonassan Gershom (Reprinted here from my old website. The graphic at the top, "Rosh Hashanah in Uman," was created by me on my computer in 1998.)</p></div></div>Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-85626937349853419212020-08-12T10:39:00.017-05:002020-08-13T08:48:35.003-05:00Animal rights group files lawsuit comparing Kapporos ritual to Wuhan "wet markets," linking it to COVID19 <blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kdLaZ_Z1Pk6CKGGtQcWk0LMq3dMyefTaBXfu4uLVsAm4yJMhlFEQHXcGwV23BkxIuHRJ7TYTwEkxMnAOxzOS6mcHCs1k8OTPOP0iK66b-7jENF1TdZd2Io3s5KC_gmkid_kSgInSpno/s444/20200812_091547.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="444" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kdLaZ_Z1Pk6CKGGtQcWk0LMq3dMyefTaBXfu4uLVsAm4yJMhlFEQHXcGwV23BkxIuHRJ7TYTwEkxMnAOxzOS6mcHCs1k8OTPOP0iK66b-7jENF1TdZd2Io3s5KC_gmkid_kSgInSpno/w200-h177/20200812_091547.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">As readers of this blog know, I oppose using chickens for the kapporos ritual, and have been outspoken on this issue for years. But I also oppose using antisemitic tropes to get publicity in the fight against it. </p><p>This year, the <a href="http://endchickensaskaporos.com">Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos</a> has sunk to a new low. They have re-opened a lawsuit from 2018 opposing the ritual, now linking it to COVID19. </p><p>When I first heard about this, I assumed they were referring to social distancing and the danger of gathering in large crowds. A concern I would agree with. But the Alliance takes it a step further, evoking, however unintentionally, an old trope about Jews being the source of plagues and diseases. This I must condemn as tone-deaf and dangerous.</p><p> In their lawsuit, they compare pop-up kapporos centers to "wet markets" in Wuhan, China, where it is believed COVID19 mutated, and implying the same thing can happen with Hasidic Jews slaughtering chickens in New York.</p><p>This theme been picked up by animal rights groups all over the internet, resulting in posts like this tweet:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DWkUXa4zPOw6ZSqyVj6xwwiwioxDMxpL0mB0x-PESCBEqMYFe7rYGMvkhhTtM7sMNAqOEFGhTTe2NNzMNzVdr5DRix8vdapiz3YnMjZyfhDGemr8oPFdGFTXVHLLJCBpetIoaD9xKtg/s772/20200812_074232.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="711" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DWkUXa4zPOw6ZSqyVj6xwwiwioxDMxpL0mB0x-PESCBEqMYFe7rYGMvkhhTtM7sMNAqOEFGhTTe2NNzMNzVdr5DRix8vdapiz3YnMjZyfhDGemr8oPFdGFTXVHLLJCBpetIoaD9xKtg/w368-h400/20200812_074232.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><p>The implication here, as I read this post, is that COVID19 will jump from humans to chickens, mutate there, then jump back to humans in a more virulent form and wipe out New York City. Not only is this an irresponsible, inflammatory scare tactic, it is scientifically impossible. Chickens do not get COVID19. The pop-up kapporos centers may be messy and cruel, but they are not incubators for a new form of coronavirus. (Chickens can, however, give you a case of salmonella, which is why the CDC recommends <i>not </i>kissing or snuggling them.)</p><p>COVID19 is a mammalian virus, believed to have originated in wild bats that were being sold as food. Isolated cases have been reported of cats and dogs getting COVID19 from humans, including a tiger in Central Park Zoo, but birds, including chickens, cannot carry or transmit it. </p><p>The Chinese in Wuhan might eat bats, but Hasidic Jews do not, nor do they eat other kinds of wild "bush meat." The chickens used at kaporos centers come from the very same commercial sources as the chicken sold in your local grocery. Unless you are a vegetarian, you probably have some in your freezer. </p><p>There is a very big difference between handling domestic species that humans have interacted with for centuries, and "wet markets" selling wild-captured exotic species with possible viruses against which humans have no resistance. </p><p>Nevertheless, the animal rights groups are now using #wetmarket in their Tweets and posts, purposely causing kapporos to turn up in searches about COVID19 and primitive meat markets in Wuhan and elsewhere. Making such a comparison at this point in time, when people are already panicked and angry, is bound to have negative consequences. Especially since the people involved are Jews, a group that has been falsely accused of spreading diseases in the past.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJK22dfKsl4Yn81O-hWe7LHeeHR9ZOmIvWGRYxdXt92Ua4jnksB605Z2Wwkxc1uUjarEdO4v4gBKRYPBTA90GqjNX1lDQqpAdR_w62lSfRA6VxDICZF2HSl3vyg7JGZT2kei0u8Dhy64/s357/IMG_20200812_082858.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="283" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJK22dfKsl4Yn81O-hWe7LHeeHR9ZOmIvWGRYxdXt92Ua4jnksB605Z2Wwkxc1uUjarEdO4v4gBKRYPBTA90GqjNX1lDQqpAdR_w62lSfRA6VxDICZF2HSl3vyg7JGZT2kei0u8Dhy64/w159-h200/IMG_20200812_082858.jpg" title="ralky st uh whitexsupremac a at seen pister Antisemitic" width="159" /></a></div>There are already antisemitic memes online, linking Jews with plagues, like this sign seen at a recent white supremacist protest. Conspiracy theories blame George Soros, the Jewish billionaire who is everybody's scapegoat. QAnon claims the Democrats worship Satan, another accusation sometimes leveled at Jews. Adding fuel to this fire is a bad idea. <div><br /><p>Rina Deich, a founding member of the Alliance, has tried to assure me in a text conversation that their intent was not to say that COVID19 will mutate in chickens. Rather, they are referring to crowds of people gathering in the unsanitary conditions, where some sort of new mutation of viruses in chickens <i>might </i>happen. In her words to me:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> "There is a toxicologist who has spent hours with the lawyer discussing the potential dangers of kaporos, especially the way it is practiced. Just because it hasn't happened yet does not mean that in the right conditions it wouldn't happen. It's a distinct possibility."</p></blockquote><p>Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean it can't? I suppose that is true of just about anything. Hard to disprove a negative, they say. </p><p>But even if this unnamed toxicologist is right, and some other virus in chickens could mutate, linking kapporos and COVID19 in a publicity stunt right now is still irresponsible. And publicity stunt it is. The first thing the Alliance did was send out a press release. Whatever their original intent, it has now gone viral. And not everybody is making fine distinctions between Wuhan bush meat and chickens in New York. Just read the headlines.</p><p>Deich tried to reassure me that, "When we are interviewed by the media, if we handle it the correct way, it should not fuel anti-semitism. In fact, people seeing that Jews are opposed to this practice takes away their ammunition."</p><div>Brave words. And if Deich does the interviews, it might well be true, although I doubt whether antisemites will care if Jews protest it or not. However, if Karen Davis, their primary spokesperson, is the one giving those interviews, I do not trust it will be handled "in the correct way." She has a bad record for saying insensitive things about Hasidic Jews, a culture she does not like or respect. <a href="http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2014/11/karen-davis-anti-kapporos-activist.html">(Read more on that.</a>)</div><p>As of this writing, it is not even clear if the judge will re-open the case, which was denied back in 2018. But that doesn't really matter, because the Alliance already got what they wanted: lots of free publicity. They have also set the stage, come October, for the public to see Orthodox Jews as a bunch of dangerous, disease-ridden people spreading the Plague. They didn't intend it that way, but there are always unintended consequences. I only hope it does not result in violence against the community like it did in the past, heaven forbid, when Jews were burned at the stake for supposedly causing the Black Plague. </p><p>As I said at the beginning of this article, I oppose the use of chickens in this ritual. I would love to see it shut down forever. I encourage my fellow Hasidim to avoid these gatherings, not because of chickens who don't carry COVID19, but because of people who do. At the same time, I cannot, and will not, endorse this latest mutation of the anti-kapporos campaign.</p></div>Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-78080955067264960232020-05-17T19:11:00.002-05:002021-04-25T09:27:32.267-05:00Social Distancing made me "normal" in the Jewish community<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKzvQfXCI2x35Px9HkPobEvwV3ngc6NrR3-n0nswzeu7bHuNh4MCjMn850P5sxJlu_oCECNQukGgdRp0b3x42_ZWlDeXAb3c69_R5IQhYSEOT-Hf09OU9fiCFT4N9R8PwwQuut1LfSQQ/s1600/225px-%25D7%2597%25D7%25A1%25D7%2599%25D7%2593_%25D7%259E%25D7%25AA%25D7%2591%25D7%2595%25D7%2593%25D7%2593.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Breslov Hasid praying in the woods" border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKzvQfXCI2x35Px9HkPobEvwV3ngc6NrR3-n0nswzeu7bHuNh4MCjMn850P5sxJlu_oCECNQukGgdRp0b3x42_ZWlDeXAb3c69_R5IQhYSEOT-Hf09OU9fiCFT4N9R8PwwQuut1LfSQQ/s320/225px-%25D7%2597%25D7%25A1%25D7%2599%25D7%2593_%25D7%259E%25D7%25AA%25D7%2591%25D7%2595%25D7%2593%25D7%2593.jpg" title="" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breslov Hasid <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">making hisboddidus</span><br />
(courtesy of Wikipedia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For literally decades, I have been an anomaly in the Jewish community. As a Hasid who lives far away from the nearest synagogue, I have endured a lot of guilt-tripping from fellow Jews about why I should not live where there is no minyan, and lectures about "not cutting myself off from the community." To a lot of people, being Jewish is so tightly tied to city living that potential converts living in rural areas have sometimes been turned down because "you just can't do Judaism" in the country.<br />
<br />
And to a lot of Jews in the city, I ceased to exist once we moved to the country. (At one point, several years ago, when Caryl and I needed some assistance, neither the Twin Cities nor Duluth Jewish Social Services would claim us, since we were not in their jurisdictions.)<br />
<br />
Then along comes COVID19 and social distancing. All the synagogues are ordered to close -- and right before Passover yet. Suddenly the whole Jewish world is finding themselves trying to figure out how to practice without a minyan, without family, without personal contact. How do you fill the time on Shabbat? How do you make a Seder? If you can't get parsley or horseradish, what else can you use? Can you say kaddish on Zoom? Etc.<br />
<br />
I have spent a lot of time online answering these and similar questions. Years of hisboddidus (Rebbe Nachman's form of solitary prayer and meditation) prepared me for this isolating crisis. Suddenly my experience here in the North Woods has become a valuable resource. No longer the community crackpot, I am suddenly an expert on how to cope with the new normal as a Jew.<br />
<br />
Kabbalah teaches that there are Holy Sparks everywhere that need to be lifted up out of exile. Sometimes, the Baal Shem Tov taught, we are sent by God to remote places, specifically to find these Sparks. I won't be so egotistical as to claim that moving to Pine County, Minnesota was a mission from God. But I will cite the teaching that each Jew is like a letter of the Torah, and that if even one letter is missing, the Torah is incomplete. My "letter," as eccentric as it may seem to some people , has value. No sincere effort, no experience in God's world is ever wasted. Not even for us outliers.<br />
<br />
I will close this essay with a little video I did about lighting my campfire on Lag B'Omer here in the North Woods. Just because we weren't able to gather in huge crowds around the bonfires this year doesn't mean we could not celebrate. When I made this bonfire, I had in mind to be spiritually connected to Jews around the world. And I felt that connection deeply, in my heart and soul.<div><br /></div><div>UPDATE: Here we are, a year later, and still in the pandemic. The video below combines footage from last year with some of my current thoughts on how this pandemic parallels the plague in the time of Rabbi Akiva.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br />
<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="200" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LVWkGtZJjCA" title="YouTube video player" width="360"></iframe></div>
<center><br /></center>
</div></div>Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-27385019630416351622019-09-25T11:33:00.000-05:002019-10-08T11:25:56.406-05:00Kapporos Protests: Reflections on a New Approach<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Note from the Editor: As readers of this blog know, I was a founding member of the Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos in 2010, but broke with the organization in 2014 over what I saw as disrespect of Hasidism and Hasidic culture on the part of Karen Davis, who was their primary spokesperson at the time. In the past year, however, some members of that organization have re-evaluated their aggressive approach (which, quite frankly, was not working) and decided to try using love and compassion instead. In this guest column, Rina Deych, also a founding member of the Alliance, describes what they did in the fall of 2018, and how it was received by the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities in New York. (Rabbi Gershom)</i></div>
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>* * * * *</i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<h3>
Kaporos Protests: Reflections on a New Approach<span id="goog_1211946516"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1211946517"></span></h3>
<b>Guest Column by </b><b>Rina Deych</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since 2010, the <a href="http://endchickensaskaporos.com/" target="_blank">Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos</a> has been protesting the use of chickens in the custom of Kaporos (background info <a href="https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-custom-of-kapparot-in-the-jewish-tradition/" target="_blank">here.)</a> Although at times we did get into some great discussions with practitioners, interactions were often angry and contentious. Last year, for the first time, we partnered with <a href="http://thesavemovement.org/" target="_blank">The Save Movement </a>and <a href="http://jewishveg.org/" target="_blank">Jewish Veg</a>, and our approach was very different.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Compassion instead of anger</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-atpuTC9oA6jtNKTVrE9cupQJAH5uqrdR2KbfvYP0rmVc_NB8lDpRmuwuQyEFcXn5EfhbR4pig0KANFrVtpNt3_Xq3gNe_7cD0QtxjyQ8Xp3P1AAGXUzsJlHVms1w7HkM5im-6jMkanw/s1600/Rina+and+Anita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="701" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-atpuTC9oA6jtNKTVrE9cupQJAH5uqrdR2KbfvYP0rmVc_NB8lDpRmuwuQyEFcXn5EfhbR4pig0KANFrVtpNt3_Xq3gNe_7cD0QtxjyQ8Xp3P1AAGXUzsJlHVms1w7HkM5im-6jMkanw/s200/Rina+and+Anita.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Rina Deych (left)<br />
and Anita Krajnc </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Krajnc_case" target="_blank">Anita Krajnc,</a> co-founder of The Save Movement, met with a group of us to promote a love-based initiative inspired by the writings of Leo Tolstoy. It was a truly eye-(and heart)-opening experience to hear her speak. She encouraged us to have love and respect for practitioners and to approach them from a place of compassion.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It made me remember a conversation I’d had with a friend who insisted that if she were brought up in a community that used chickens in the ritual she would “know” they were suffering and she’d refuse to do it. I told her at the time (and mentioned when I spoke at our meeting) that no one can say that for sure. I explained (to her, at the time, and later to the group) that if one is indoctrinated from birth to believe (or ignore) certain things, it’s very hard to change – especially when one lives in a community that reinforces those things. Therefore, difficult as it is, we need to feel compassion for these people.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3zJOStwEOIviqvKEFGChATRdxyhz48qOiP0R4Rti7wfglWixQy6BgIMGMUCYdhPCGoUwK-gIrZDMzBLFND9dWxQRnCnm084Nh5h9m05XiF_oeehKT-VWtsa-O39nyM7o9GRTVlhSbJc/s1600/Jill+showing+practitioner+how+to+hold+a+chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3zJOStwEOIviqvKEFGChATRdxyhz48qOiP0R4Rti7wfglWixQy6BgIMGMUCYdhPCGoUwK-gIrZDMzBLFND9dWxQRnCnm084Nh5h9m05XiF_oeehKT-VWtsa-O39nyM7o9GRTVlhSbJc/s200/Jill+showing+practitioner+how+to+hold+a+chicken.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teaching a how to properly<br />
hold a chicken by supporting<br />
her body</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last Kaporos, we visited groups in Boro Park, Williamsburg and Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where the ritual was being performed. Activists opened crates and gave food and water to as many chickens as they could reach. Sadly, that wasn’t many, because they are so tightly crammed into crates that are stacked several high and many across.<br />
<br />
<b>A more positive response</b><br />
<br />
I noticed almost immediately that the practitioners’ reactions to us were completely different than in previous years. Children gathered around, wide-eyed with curiosity and both kids and adults were asking us questions.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6dwcG_VNYqBl7m6j_hE0TdJlmquWp3_TWgZiqSIdrYzV3IRQMhIDP21fo9qi4F2VI_LZJghb_SWH522eCFN_w7xGAHCKzSEp0pKTwHt2BwJM9fgDvpQPKoQ4JEUpa1rVxFqJi8B8pTc/s1600/Chickens+drinking+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="719" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6dwcG_VNYqBl7m6j_hE0TdJlmquWp3_TWgZiqSIdrYzV3IRQMhIDP21fo9qi4F2VI_LZJghb_SWH522eCFN_w7xGAHCKzSEp0pKTwHt2BwJM9fgDvpQPKoQ4JEUpa1rVxFqJi8B8pTc/s200/Chickens+drinking+water.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chickens drinking water<br />
offered by protesters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sage Max of Jewish Veg gave out flyers with historic information supporting the use of money (instead of chickens) in the ritual. There were activists showing practitioners the correct way to hold a chicken (under and around his or her body, instead of by their fragile wings). One butcher (some of the rituals occur outside of butcher shops) with a long white beard came over to me and showed me that he was giving the birds challah (bread) soaked in water. I was touched by his compassion and thanked him.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There were some angry words from practitioners, but we tried our best to respond to them with kindness. This is what I call putting water on the fire. In previous years, some of us have thrown gasoline on it… not intentionally, but in response to seeing the chickens suffering. That approach was counterproductive and did not help the chickens.<br />
<br />
<b>Continuing postive outreach</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3QfeJs6TLGW79yn2B4fCDlC-6ywx3mDOCGUOEHfB7WQEJGllTNj2WV9W3Ge0gv1XhZu-vuoTwFJdH7o04_bOT7y_7vx1kVjeZeNTJw3e19p6dCGy2RAEmHKRR4oLmenKAnMnypQ1LF0/s1600/Activist+cradling+a+rescued+chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="472" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3QfeJs6TLGW79yn2B4fCDlC-6ywx3mDOCGUOEHfB7WQEJGllTNj2WV9W3Ge0gv1XhZu-vuoTwFJdH7o04_bOT7y_7vx1kVjeZeNTJw3e19p6dCGy2RAEmHKRR4oLmenKAnMnypQ1LF0/s200/Activist+cradling+a+rescued+chicken.jpg" width="98" /></a></div>
This year, we plan to continue our feeding, watering, and outreach efforts. We planted many seeds of compassion and this Kaporos we plan to water them. I thank Rabbi Gershom for his wonderful book <a href="http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2015/06/new-book-kapporos-then-and-now-toward.html" target="_blank">Kapporos Then and Now</a><i>,</i> which I have given to rabbis and some key members of the community to inspire them to use money, instead of chickens. It has been an invaluable tool in helping to spread compassion.</div>
<br />
Rina Deych<br />
Founding Member<br />
Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos<br />
<br />
<br />
---------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
"Hasidic Man Speaks Out Against Mass Animal Sacrifice Kaporos" -- a video of last year's actions, produced by Donny Moss of <a href="http://theirturn.net/" target="_blank">Their Turn.</a> Note especially the outspoken young Hasidic man at the beginning of the video, who is protesting the custom. It is important to remember that not all Orthodox Jews do this ceremony.<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="200" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iHw7WmCy49k" width="300"></iframe></center>
<br />
Also check out <a href="https://theirturn.net/2019/09/18/hasidic-jews-speak-out-against-mass-animal-sacrifice-kaporos/" target="_blank">this well-written article </a>by Donny Moss, about how the footage of the Hasidic man in the video came about, behind the scenes discussions with Hasidim who disapprove of using chickens, etc. Very well-balanced, informative, and accurate.<br />
<br />
For practical suggestions on organizing effective protests and other actions you can take, see Rabbi Gershom's activist manual <a href="https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fapp.box.com%2Fv%2FKapporos-activist-manual" target="_blank">online here. </a><br />
<br />
For more on Rabbi Gershom's Book, <i>Kapporos Then and Now: Toward a More Compassionate Tradition, </i><a href="http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2015/06/new-book-kapporos-then-and-now-toward.html" target="_blank">click here</a>, where you can read a synopsis by the author and order copies at a discount.<br />
<h3>
</h3>
Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-56779763633825788942019-05-20T18:09:00.000-05:002020-03-05T11:50:34.745-06:00On Jewish Theology and Abortion <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi905xE6x-WwhXfu19doNpbjbjslIY151x9TVDB0qyz1Nvbz24T76YsutrTbovN5tZ-EtV25T5DKxErYT7eT6zTcEgIxwX0yOHXyT5vHickaiMEL-ITCcK7mInzsmAQFKgzwWCHrZxTpd4/s1600/abortion5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Stand up for religious freedom" border="0" data-original-height="152" data-original-width="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi905xE6x-WwhXfu19doNpbjbjslIY151x9TVDB0qyz1Nvbz24T76YsutrTbovN5tZ-EtV25T5DKxErYT7eT6zTcEgIxwX0yOHXyT5vHickaiMEL-ITCcK7mInzsmAQFKgzwWCHrZxTpd4/s1600/abortion5.jpg" title="" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Religious freedom applies to ALL religions<br />
not just Christian fundamentalists</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
<b>
To begin: Judaism permits abortion</b></h3>
<b><br /></b>
That is a given. Different rabbis might rule differently as to when it is permitted (usually handled on a case-by-case basis) but all agree that there are circumstances where it is kosher. In some cases it might actually be <i>required </i>by Jewish law; cases which, if abortion is universally outlawed, might infringe on the religious freedom of Jews.<br />
<br />
The main thesis of this essay is that, because Jewish theology interprets the abortion issue <i>differently</i> from fundamentalist Christian theology, the US government should not be deciding questions about when the soul joins the body. To do so violates the First Amendment.<br />
<br />
WARNING: If you plan to hit me with antisemitic crap over this about how "wrong" the Jews are according to your religion, don't bother. Been there, done that. But if you are seriously interested in my more mystical take on this regarding body and soul, then read on.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>When does human life begin according to the Torah? </b></h3>
<br />
Genesis 2:7 says that God "formed Adam from the dust of the earth, breathed a breath of life into his nostrils, and he became a living soul" (or a living being: Hebrew <i>nefesh chayah</i>) . So we have two aspects of humans: body and soul. The body comes from the material world, the soul from the "breath of God" or spiritual world. For literally millennia, the first breath was considered the beginning of life as an independent human being. This is still the way that Jewish law views it. (For more details on that, see this excellent article by Danya Ruttenberg <a href="https://forward.com/opinion/393168/why-are-jews-so-pro-choice/" target="_blank">"Why are Jews so Pro-Choice?"</a>)<br />
<br />
Anti-abortion Evangelicals quote Psalm 139:13 and Job 31:15, which speak of God saying, "I formed you in the womb." These verses are regarded as poetry by Jews and play no role in Jewish law which, as I said above, we base on Genesis in the Torah. While Christians see the Bible as a single book, and give equal weight to all material in it, Jews understand that the Bible is really a library, with different categories of material: Torah, Prophets, and Writings. The Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) forms the basis for Jewish canon law <i>(halachah.) </i> The other books are considered to be various genres of literature: mostly history, sermons by the prophets, and inspirational writings like Psalms and Proverbs. These materials are secondary to the Torah and are <i>not</i> cited in legal decisions.<br />
<br />
I actually had an Evangelical tell me that Job is the oldest book in the Bible - trying to prove that it overrides the idea that life begins with the first breath as in Genesis - but that is wrong. The literary style of Job is like a Greek play <a href="https://www.questia.com/library/157313/the-book-of-job-as-a-greek-tragedy" target="_blank">(more on that)</a> which puts it way later than the Torah.<br />
<br />
So lines from Job and Psalms do not count in determining the Jewish stance on abortion. But for the sake of argument, if we are going to discuss "knew you in the womb" verses, then what about Jeremiah 1:4-5, where God says, "“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..."? Some Christians also cite this verse to oppose abortion. But read it again: "<i>Before I formed you in the womb </i>I knew you..." How could God know Jeremiah <i>before</i> he was in the womb? How can he be synonymous with an embryo that does not even exist yet? What did God know of Jeremiah BEFORE gestation? His soul. Which we can probably assume was "breathed in" by God at birth.<br />
<br />
The bottom line is, the question of when the soul joined the body is theology, and gets into First Amendment issues. Should the govt be deciding a theological question over which various religions disagree? No.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Influence of Roman Catholicism</b></h3>
<br />
The Catholic Church was more deeply concerned with the question of ensoulment than were the Jewish scholars. "Life begins at conception" was not always their official doctrine <a href="http://addictinginfo.com/2013/03/21/abortion-church-conception-history/" target="_blank">(read more on that) </a>but they were moving in that direction, and in 1974 it became official. Pope Paul VI ratified the "Declaration on Procured Abortion," making it required doctrine for all Roman Catholics that abortion is forbidden because the soul joins the body at conception.<br />
<br />
So why do I, a Jew, care about Roman Catholic theology? Because, with the Pope's declaration, the political debate heated up. Back in the 1970s and 80s, the anti-abortion protesters were almost always Roman Catholics. But gradually, their theology jumped denominational lines into fundamentalist Christian groups. Although Catholics today still oppose abortion, it is the Evangelicals who are leading the charge to legally ban it. As Cynthia Ozick once put it, we should oppose anyone "who proposes that the church steeple ought to begin to lean on the town hall roof." Which is exactly what is happening now. Hence the reason that Jews are concerned.<br />
<br />
Today, the Catholic stance that "life begins at conception" has pretty much taken over the Pro-life movement. As an outsider looking in, I find it ironic that fundamentalist Christians, who have historically been anti-Catholic, are now basing their argument against abortion on a declaration by the Pope. Or are they?<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>The impact of embryology and DNA studies</b></h3>
<br />
Parallel to the Catholic Church's decision on abortion was the science of embryology. Even in antiquity, people had seen miscarriages at various stages of development, but the process was not well understood. When Watson and Crick unraveled the double-helix mystery of DNA in 1954, which led to the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, we suddenly had a better understanding of how the human body develops. We could finally explain, scientifically, exactly what happens when the sperm and egg unite. And we understood, at least to some extent, how genes carry our hereditary traits.<br />
<br />
So the Pro-lifers seized on conception as the moment of full personhood, claiming that everything you are going to be is created in the union of sperm and egg through your DNA.<br />
<br />
Again ironic, because we now have very religious people -- many of whom are anti-science in other areas -- relying on science to argue that the fetus is fully a person either at physical conception, or when there is a heartbeat. Both of these are purely materialistic arguments. If you believe you are nothing but your physical body, that your DNA is all there is to your human existence, then the heartbeat argument works. An odd stance for a religious person. no?<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Body and soul -- again</b></h3>
<br />
But what if you believe a human being is <i>not </i>simply a matter of biochemistry? What if you believe there is such a thing as a human soul? Then we are back in the realm of theology. When does the soul join the body? And how do you prove that? You can't, really. Which is why Jewish law bases life on the first breath, which can be observed without the use of theology or mysticism. Even atheists can agree whether a child is breathing or not.<br />
<br />
I suspect this is also why Republicans focus on the heartbeat benchmark, because it can now be measured by ultrasound. But what about the brain? Nowadays brain activity is a better marker for life. Does a six-week-old embryo with a heartbeat think? A brain dead person has a heartbeat, but are they still alive? Is there a difference between an adult kept alive by machines and a not-yet-viable fetus kept alive by a womb?<br />
<br />
In the case of the brain dead person, family members get to decide, along with their doctors and clergy, whether to terminate life support - even though the patient still has a heartbeat. So why is that not also true of an embryo in the womb? Why is it murder to end the life of an embryo without a thinking brain but not an adult who is brain dead?<br />
<br />
In fact, Judaism does <i>not</i> consider the death of an unborn child to be murder, based on Exodus 21:22-25, which the New American Standard Bible (NASB) renders this way: "And if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no [further] injury [to her], he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him; and he [the guilty one] shall pay as the judges decide." Fined, not executed for murder. "Thou shalt not murder" simply does not apply here.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>In conclusion </b></h3>
<br />
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We are back to the original questions once again: When does the soul join with the body? When does it leave? Is the body the whole essence of a person, or is it a merely a garment for the soul? These are questions we should leave to the clergy, not the politicians. True, abortion is ultimately a woman's choice, sometimes along with the father of the child or other family members, sometimes not. Religious women will also take their faith's teachings into consideration. And they should be free to do so according to their own theologies, not dictated to by fundamentalist Christianity.<br />
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<br />
Addenda: Seems I am not the only one thinking in this vein. A recent <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/alabama-abortion-law-jewish-muslim-doctors-women-exemptions-%20%20religious-1428971" target="_blank">New York Times article </a>discussed whether Jewish and Muslim doctors and women should get religious exemptions in Alabama under their new strict anti-abortion law. After all, Christians have claimed exemptions from Civil Rights laws (such as refusing to bake cakes for gay couples) based on their faith. So why shouldn't religions that allow abortions also get similar exemptions? Good question.<br />
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Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-37705119054248454632019-03-28T12:15:00.000-05:002019-10-11T15:14:13.586-05:00On Why I No Longer Do Speaking Engagements<b><br /></b>
<b>"Hello. I'm Rabbi Gershom, and I'm autistic..."</b><br />
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<br />
This is how I often introduce myself to a group nowadays, because I find that being upfront about my autism helps people get beyond my personal quirks. Those of you who dislike labels should try being me without any kind of explanation. Believe me, owning the label is much better.<br />
<br />
Back in 1992, when my first book, <i>Beyond the Ashes: Cases of Reincarnation from the Holocaust </i>came out, I did not yet have a diagnosis. Asperger's Syndrome (now considered a form of autism) wasn't even on the radar yet. I was aware of my lifelong struggle with clumsy social skills, but nothing could have prepared me for the humiliating experiences I had on the speaking circuit. Once the book came out, everybody and anybody wanted to meet the author -- and were deeply disappointed that a jabbering nerd like me was the guy who wrote it.<br />
<br />
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Within the Jewish community, I had functioned reasonably well, since we tend to be intense debaters who sway a lot and wave our hands around when we talk. During worship we pace, shout, rock to our own inner rhythms -- what autistic people now call "stimming." I have often joked that if an uninformed person walked into an Orthodox study group, he or she might mistake it for a support group for autistic adults. Which is probably another reason why my own autism went undiagnosed for so long. In Jewish culture, rocking and swaying are considered normal.<br />
<br />
And it was in a Jewish context that the book was written, where I was seen as a Jewish teacher talking about Jewish kabbalah. Most of the reincarnation interviews were done one-on-one, which I'm good at. Some people sent me written stories of their past-life memories, too, or copies of their past-life regression tapes. Plus there were many phone interviews, also one-on-one. From this material and my own academic research, the book <i>Beyond the Ashes </i>was born.<br />
<br />
But when the book came out in 1992, everything changed People read books in their own inner voice. They form an idea of what the author is like, based on their own feelings and impressions. This image becomes a sort of idol that they expect the author to live up to. When it comes to spirituality, the New Age image is one of a calm mellow, laid-back personality, a sort of guru sitting cross-legged on a pillow, chanting "Om." Google "spirituality images" and you get this:<br />
<br />
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<br />
An image that I do not fit at all. Not one photo in there of Orthodox Jews dancing, swaying, rocking back and forth in ecstasy. Which is why I was mostly a one-gig speaker. A guy who disappointed his audience and was rarely invited back.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzxhYdwlcy-aD9JnIYc2egBheNDqDglt_mcBp73HnJ4jEviSAyzYlf6JlAhwuSQcmadEXDNR0YatJCTOj_Byfhv0R0h0cJ2owHv_FoCGGiaNQ0YAH2nhNf1LRyRzEMXgGyL8ChIFjfo8/s1600/dancing+hasid2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="131" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzxhYdwlcy-aD9JnIYc2egBheNDqDglt_mcBp73HnJ4jEviSAyzYlf6JlAhwuSQcmadEXDNR0YatJCTOj_Byfhv0R0h0cJ2owHv_FoCGGiaNQ0YAH2nhNf1LRyRzEMXgGyL8ChIFjfo8/s200/dancing+hasid2.jpg" width="87" /></a>At one workshop, a participant flat out told me that if he had known I was a "typical New York Jew," he would never have signed up. (I am not from New York. And yes, I do see the antisemitism in this attitude, but that's a whole other story.) At another workshop, my bluntness was seen as insensitivity. In Germany, where my book had just been translated, my mannerisms were mistaken for nervousness. As for the written feedback forms... I could go on and on, but you get the point.<br />
<br />
There were times when I regretted writing <i>Beyond the Ashes, </i>this book that took over my life and typecast me so completely that nobody wanted to hear about anything else. Yes, it helped many people, but it also left me tired and drained. I came to understand why Leonard Nimoy wrote <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/580882.I_Am_Not_Spock" target="_blank">I Am Not Spock</a> </i>after the original <i>Star Trek </i>series ended.<i> </i>I began to see myself as something separate from the "Rabbi Gershom" who wrote about Holocaust reincarnations. He became a role I was playing -- not very healthy, to be sure. I was disassociating from myself as author of the book.<br />
<br />
The final straw came in the late 1990s, when I was castigated in front of the audience by a program organizer for not being "spiritual enough," and for going "off topic" on a question that didn't have to do with reincarnation per se, but which was relevant to explaining the Jewish worldview. He actually said, "This is not what we hired you to talk about." All they wanted to hear was Holocaust reincarnation stories, without much Jewish context. I came home from that gig emotionally drained and vowing never to do that again. Dayenu! Enough already!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The diagnosis changes everything...</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49ngcYiJsvMMaDvHV6r1fvhBddBhxFG3PPGpImlH7k8mg0zUzjAB9bv2sgqF7egIADM_A1QkXEjM43lFzdDVOrULzok6TZm3H5SqpxF8mFhTgHG3g0a_gq8R4xBAXwxEyj3YvuypDrCo/s1600/dancing+hasid1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="130" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49ngcYiJsvMMaDvHV6r1fvhBddBhxFG3PPGpImlH7k8mg0zUzjAB9bv2sgqF7egIADM_A1QkXEjM43lFzdDVOrULzok6TZm3H5SqpxF8mFhTgHG3g0a_gq8R4xBAXwxEyj3YvuypDrCo/s200/dancing+hasid1.jpg" width="87" /></a>It was during the 1990s, in the middle of all this chaos, at the age of 45, that I was diagnosed, first with ADHD, and later Asperger's (which I now believe can overlap each other.) Suddenly a light went on in my head. Things began falling into place. I went online and read everything I could find on autism, joined numerous discussion groups and began putting my life back together. Had I known more about my autism during those years on the speaking circuit, had I been able to give a name to the mannerisms that the audience found so uncomfortable, things might have gone differently. Heck, if I had known about it in childhood, my whole life might have been different. But that is, as they say, water under the bridge.<br />
<br />
In the year 2000, as my millennium resolution, I pulled out of the spirituality workshop circuit altogether. I had given 20+ years of my life to this<br />
topic and it was time to move on. There were now plenty of therapists and psychiatrists who were getting paid way more than me to do this Holocaust reincarnation stuff. So let them have it. My book opened the door. Others walked through. My role was over. And I was, quite frankly, tired of being typecast as “The Holocaust
reincarnation rabbi.” I was tired
of getting calls in the middle of the night from people who wanted free counseling and did not bother to check time zones. It was time to pass the torch to the next generation and begin
a new chapter in my own life. So I did.
<br />
<br />
<b>What is "spirituality" anyway? </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The Oxford English Dictionary defines "spirituality as <i>"The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things." </i>There is nothing in that sentence about body language, eye contact, voice inflections -- all of which are, after all, the very "physical things" that spirituality is supposed to leave behind. So why judge me for not fitting into the New Age stereotype?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzxhYdwlcy-aD9JnIYc2egBheNDqDglt_mcBp73HnJ4jEviSAyzYlf6JlAhwuSQcmadEXDNR0YatJCTOj_Byfhv0R0h0cJ2owHv_FoCGGiaNQ0YAH2nhNf1LRyRzEMXgGyL8ChIFjfo8/s1600/dancing+hasid2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="131" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzxhYdwlcy-aD9JnIYc2egBheNDqDglt_mcBp73HnJ4jEviSAyzYlf6JlAhwuSQcmadEXDNR0YatJCTOj_Byfhv0R0h0cJ2owHv_FoCGGiaNQ0YAH2nhNf1LRyRzEMXgGyL8ChIFjfo8/s200/dancing+hasid2.jpg" width="86" /></a>Nevertheless, that's what happened. It traumatized me to the point that I no longer want to do workshops and have pretty much become a recluse, living with my wife and my animals in northern Minnesota. What I have to say, I communicate through my writing. It was, after all, a book that originally started all this, and, if I may say so myself, I'm a darned good writer. Let people read in their own inner voice, without the distraction of my autistic personality. Maybe in that way, I can get something of my true spirituality across.<br />
<br />
There are probably readers out there now thinking to themselves, "Well, he can't be much of a spiritual guide if he can't even handle a little criticism." First of all, I never claimed to be some sort of guru. And second of all, there is no reason I should have to put up with emotional abuse. Constructive criticism of my work I can take, but all this personal rejection did very little for my self-esteem. If anyone is being "unspiritual," it's those people who insist on projecting their own expectations on me.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_k1by74ITtf7zBhCRG_qbcSut7ohBBXxkISCh1Qrtva-tR3XYjxIutCPL-2L3H5zFgNPRIjUMJuJNBTyaq7-sr2uM0jU_5vE012MFaWdgK7YKivqbsg0L3yMWAqngCxGAwQbJEFedeQ/s1600/dancing+hasid1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="130" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_k1by74ITtf7zBhCRG_qbcSut7ohBBXxkISCh1Qrtva-tR3XYjxIutCPL-2L3H5zFgNPRIjUMJuJNBTyaq7-sr2uM0jU_5vE012MFaWdgK7YKivqbsg0L3yMWAqngCxGAwQbJEFedeQ/s200/dancing+hasid1.jpg" width="87" /></a>Today, I find myself wondering how many other autistic people have been rejected because of New Age stereotypes about what it means to be spiritual. We are frequently misread as "having no empathy" or being "unable to love" because we don't look people in the eye or enjoy being spontaneously hugged. Many of us are unable to sit still without fidgeting, which pretty much rules out Zen meditation. I was also seen as "unsocial" at all those speaking events because I didn't hang around the hotel bar to chitchat afterward. After the intensity of doing a speech and/or leading a workshop, I need solitude to recharge. The last thing I need is to be surrounded by the audio-visual chaos of a party.<br />
<br />
I puzzled for years over why God would have chosen me to be the person to write <i>Beyond the Ashes. </i>I finally came to the conclusion that God did not want this thing to turn into a cult. So he chose an autistic nerd with zero charisma, a guy with a memory for details who could put it all together with a certain amount of emotional detachment, but not become a cult leader. The Aspie tendency to hyper-focus on one topic at the exclusion of all other interests served me well in making <i>Beyond the Ashes </i>a useful book that remained in print for 18 years.<br />
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Not many people get to "write the book" on a topic. I did exactly that, not only opening the door to talk about Holocaust reincarnations, but also, as so many people have told me, opening up Jewish spirituality. At the time <i>Beyond the Ashes</i> first came out, there was very little available in English about Jewish reincarnation teachings. This made it a groundbreaking work in the spirituality field. The book has had a profound and positive effect on how people in the New Age and past-life therapy communities are now interpreting the “karma” of the Holocaust. Today it is a classic.
<br />
<br />
Yes, I can see the irony in that. "Autistic nerd writes major book on spirituality." If I were a true New Ager, I would claim that I channeled it, that some other entity besides Yonassan Gershom is the true author. But I know differently. The book happened precisely because of my autism, which provided a perfect storm of just the right abilities at just the right time. That is my genius.<br />
<br />Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-12911677913707388322018-07-25T08:55:00.000-05:002018-07-31T08:53:15.148-05:00Give your cat a cage of catnip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Why is that plant in a cage?" my grandson asked. " Is it dangerous?"<br />
<br />
Not exactly. Here's the story.<br />
<br />
Every cat person knows how much kitties love catnip. But anyone who has ever tried to grow it for them also knows how quickly they will crush the plants. Well, a couple years ago I hit on a solution that is not only useful, it's fun for both cats and people: Put a pot of catnip in a cage!<br />
<br />
Any cage will do, as long as it is strong enough to support a cat or cats sitting on it. Because sit on it they will, as well as roll around in glee. I found the one pictured here at a garage sale for $2 and it has served us well.<br />
<br />
The catnip plant I got at a garden center. (Previous attempts to start seeds indoors met with disaster, as cats ate the seedlings and knocked over the pots.) Plant it in a pot that fits in the cage. Water and fertilize regularly. No need to pinch back or prune: cats will do that for you. They can nibble leaves that grow through the wire, but won't kill the plant.<br />
<br />
Set the cage in an open sunny place outdoors. Then sit back and enjoy the fun!<br />
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<br />Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-36849092419586838022017-11-20T16:25:00.001-06:002017-11-26T16:42:17.208-06:00Franken's Apology: A Jewish Perspective<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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By now the whole world has heard about Leeann Tweeden's accusation that, in 2006, not-yet-Senator Al Franken kissed her too aggressively during a skit rehearsal and later posed for an embarrassing "joke" photo where it appears he is groping her. There is plenty of discussion about these events all over the Internet, so I'm not going to go into more details here.<br />
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Rather, I want to look at the ethics of his apology from a Jewish perspective. Why Jewish per se? Because Franken himself is Jewish and has said that his Jewish roots are part of his approach to public service. <a href="http://dailytrojan.com/2013/04/03/franken-discusses-his-faith/" target="_blank">(Read more on that...)</a> Although I am not his rabbi, I did know Rabbi Shapiro of Temple Israel in Minneapolis (who was), and can attest that Al Franken grew up in a positive Jewish environment. So I think it is fair to look at the issue from the standpoint of Jewish law & ethics.<br />
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<b>But first, three disclaimers:</b><br />
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(1) I do not speak for Senator Franken, and I have not discussed religion with him. Therefore, all opinions in this post are my own.<br />
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(2) I am not in any way, shape, or form trying to claim that what Franken did to Ms. Tweeden was OK. If I thought that, there would be no need to discuss apologies.<br />
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(3) I have been a Franken supporter since his first campaign in 2008 and I still am. However, this does not mean I am blind to his faults, or that I enjoy raunchy sexual humor (Not!) No leader is perfect. Even Moses made mistakes.<br />
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<b>Forgiveness and apologies in Judaism</b><br />
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Judaism teaches that for sins between human beings and God, it is enough to simply pray to God for forgiveness. So, for example, if I eat a ham sandwich, all I need to do is acknowledge the sin, ask God for forgiveness, and hopefully not do it again. However, if I harm another person - whether physically, monetarily, or through embarrassment -- I cannot be forgiven by God until I have made amends directly to that person. In this, Judaism recognizes the right of victims to have their pain and suffering directly acknowledged.<br />
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This is exactly how Franken has handled the Tweeden accusation against him. Within 24 hours of Tweeden stating her case on CNN, Franken <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/16/politics/al-franken-apology/index.html" target="_blank">issued a full public apology</a> to reporters, as well as sending an apology directly to Ms. Tweeden, which she read and discussed on <i>The View</i>. During that interview she said she accepted his apology and stated, "I sincerely think he took it in and realized that -- man, he looks at it now and says 'I'm disgusted by my actions'..." She also stated that it is not her intent to get him to resign, that the people of Minnesota should decide this. All in all, she accepted his apology and change of heart as genuine. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoF3rq4qjtA" target="_blank">(Watch the full interview on YouTube)</a><br />
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Unlike Weinstein, Moore, Trump and others, Franken did not retreat into denial. There was no degrading of Tweeden, no calling her derogatory nicknames, no threats of defamation lawsuits, no Twitter storm attempting to divert attention from himself, no coverup. Franken fully owned his guilt and manned up to apologize. Twice. I respect that.<br />
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<b>Publicly humiliating someone is a sin</b><br />
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Let me point out that Jewish law takes a very dim view of embarrassing someone in public; it is, in fact, a serious sin that the Talmud compares to shedding blood (Bava Metzia 58b). So even if Franken did intend the now-infamous photo to be a practical joke, the fact that it humiliated her made it a sin that he must atone for. The same goes for the kiss, about which he says, "I certainly don't remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann." Some people have nitpicked this statement, claiming that he is denying her story. I don't see it that way. It is perfectly possible for two people to remember the same event in different ways. What seems trivial in one person's mind can loom large in the mind of another. For him it was probably just a rehearsal. To her, it was devastating and made her angry for years.<br />
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So why didn't he apologize back in 2006? Because apparently he did not realize the seriousness of its impact on her until she told her story last week. Some people have implied that he only apologized because he got caught, but this contradicts <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/16/politics/leeann-tweeden-al-franken-the-lead/index.html" target="_blank">her own story on CNN,</a> where she says she saw the photo after they got back from the USO trip. For whatever reason, she did not confront him about it back then. What matters now is that as soon as he became aware of the impact on her, he owned it.<br />
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However, we should note that pillorying Franken in a social media feeding frenzy is also wrong. Ms. Tweeden has stated that it was not her intention to get him fired, she simply wanted to tell her story and get an apology. She got that and has accepted it. If the victim does not want to press it further, shouldn't we respect that? Must we continue to drag both of them through the media?<br />
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<i>Loshon hara </i>(evil gossip) is also a serious sin: "You shall not go back and forth as a talebearer among your people." (Leviticus 19:16) Reporting the news is one thing. Vicious gossip is quite another.<br />
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<b>Is "joking around" an excuse?</b><br />
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This brings us to the question of whether "it was clearly a joke" could be an excuse. The Jewish answer is no, not if it causes harm to the brunt of the joke. In a discussion about embarrassment and nicknames, the Talmud (Baba Metzia 58b) says that one who calls someone a derogatory nickname -- even if he or she is used to it -- will spend eternity in Gehenna. This may be hyperbole, but it does indicate the seriousness of humiliating somebody in public. (President Trump should listen to this. Although he is not Jewish, one would hope that his Jewish daughter and son-in-law would point out it him. Maybe they have but he doesn't listen?)<br />
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Humor is always tricky. What is funny to one generation can be downright disgusting to another. Even from group to group or person to person, what is acceptable can vary widely. To be sure, much of Franken's humor back in his <i>Saturday Night Live (SNL) </i>days was very raunchy and misogynist. (<a href="http://www.telegram.com/entertainmentlife/20171120/al-frankens-saturday-night-live-era-was-full-of-jokes-disparaging-women" target="_blank">Read more...)</a> SNL today remains a venue where comedy often crosses the line into offensiveness. This is not to make excuses, it just is what it is. Perhaps we should all take a long hard look at ourselves and how we feed into this national obsession with raunchy sexist humor.<br />
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Again drawing on Jewish thought, Psalm 1:1 tells us not to "sit in the seat of the scorners," i.e., those who mock others. Good humor does not put others down.<br />
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<b>Franken's humor and the 2008 Senate race</b><br />
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Here in Minnesota, when Franken ran for the Senate in 2008, his humor became an issue during the campaign. The Republicans jumped on various articles and skits he had written or participated in (or sometimes just pitched but never produced) as "proof" that he was morally unfit to lead. Even among Democrats, there was concern about his public image . Focus groups said loud and clear that they did not want Minnesota represented by a clown, especially a raunchy one.<br />
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Here again, Franken looked at his behavior and sincerely apologized: “For 35 years I was a writer," he said at his nomination speech. "I wrote a lot of jokes. Some of them weren’t funny. Some of them weren’t appropriate. Some of them were downright offensive. I understand that. And I understand that the people of Minnesota deserve a senator who won’t say things that will make you feel uncomfortable."<br />
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So a lot of the bad comedy material from the past that his enemies are now dredging up is old news to us Minnesotans, who elected him in 2008. In 2014 he won the Democratic primary with 94.5% of the vote and the general election with 53.2% of the vote. Obviously, Minnesota feels he has grown beyond his past off-color humor and is now doing a good job representing us.<br />
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Unfortunately, the rest of the country apparently hasn't followed Minnesota politics that closely. A whole new generation, who weren't even born in 1975 when SNL began, are discovering anew that Al Franken the comedian wrote offensive jokes before he became a senator. What they are missing is that during the campaign he promised to turn over a new leaf --and he did. He went so far as to <i>not</i> tell jokes -- even acceptable ones -- suppressing his inner clown to take on the seriousness of governing in the Senate. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/29/books/review/al-franken-giant-of-the-senate.html" target="_blank">(Read more...)</a><br />
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<b>Is Franken unfit to lead?</b><br />
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Now that the Tweeden story is out, certain people are calling for Franken's resignation. Abby Honold, the Minnesota rape victim who helped Franken craft a bill that would help train First Responders to better help victims of sexual assault, called Franken to say he was no longer fit to sponsor it. For the good of the cause, Franken turned it over to Senator Amy Klobuchar.<br />
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But I find myself wondering if Honold is really right. Is Franken really unfit to lead on women's issues or anything else?<br />
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Recall again that the Tweeden case, as well as his sexist humor in general, occurred <i>before</i> he was elected to the Senate. <a href="http://www.startribune.com/14-former-franken-female-staffers-say-the-senator-didn-t-mistreat-them/458261933/" target="_blank">According to the <i>Minneapolis Star Tribune,</i></a> 14 women staffers who worked for Franken signed a statement saying that he never acted inappropriately towards them:<br />
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“Many of us spent years working for Senator Franken in Minnesota and Washington,” their statement read. “In our time working for the senator, he treated us with the utmost respect. He valued our work and our opinions and was a champion for women both in the legislation he supported and in promoting women to leadership roles in our office."<br />
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(UPDATE 11/21/2017: Three dozen women who worked with Franken on SNL also signed a letter defending him: <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/saturday-night-live-women-defend-franken-after-groping-allegations-n822806" target="_blank">"Saturday Night Live" Women Defend Franken after Groping Allegations</a>, stating "not one of us experienced any inappropriate behavior.")<br />
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So it would seem that he really has turned over a new leaf. I find myself thinking about how, in many recovery programs, the best outreach counselors are those who have been there. Ex-alcoholics, ex-addicts, ex-gang members, ex-convicts -- the list goes on of people who can speak convincingly to offenders precisely because they once were offenders themselves.
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In a follow-up interview on CNN, Tweeden herself blames our culture, and said that change is going to come "not from the victims coming out, and talking about it, I think its gonna come from the people who may be doing the abusing that don't even realize they are abusing because it is so a part of the culture..." . <a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/11/16/al-franken-accuser-leeann-tweeden-sexual-harassment-culture-sot-lead.cnn" target="_blank">(Watch the video)</a><br />
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Take Alan Alda, for instance. If you watch the early seasons of <i>M.A.S.H.,</i> there's a great deal of material that comes across as sexual harassment. Then, partway through the series, Alda became a feminist. And if you watch the episodes in order, you can see the show evolve into a more respectful treatment of female characters. Having followed Franken's career here in Minnesota, I have seen a similar evolution in Franken's attitude.<br />
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So why can't Franken be an advocate for women's rights? It would seem that a man who himself once degraded women on the stage and in his writing -- but who has since repented and reformed -- would be the ideal person to convince other men to do the same. In other areas we support --even praise! -- ex-offenders who do such education and outreach. Why should this be any different?
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As I write this, the news just broke that Senator Franken does not intend to resign. Frankly (pun intended), I'm glad. So far, he is the only one of the many powerful men recently accused of sexual misconduct who has had the guts to take full responsibility and admit his mistakes. That shows courage and strength of character. We need more of that kind of leadership.<br />
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UPDATE: Listen to Al Franken's <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/11/26/sen-al-franken-this-has-been-a-shock-to-me" target="_blank">Full 18-minute interview</a> with Cathy Wurzer on NPR, Sunday, November 26, 2017<br />
<br />Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-72923033512975901242017-10-31T19:13:00.003-05:002017-11-28T09:30:31.659-06:00Kabbalistic Musings on "Life of Pi"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On the first page of the novel, <i>Life of Pi,</i> the main character, Pi Patel, states that one of his two academic majors was in religious studies, with his thesis focused on "certain aspects of the cosmogony theory of Isaac Luria, the great sixteenth-century Kabbalist from Safed." Luria, also known as the "holy Ari" (Lion), is still revered as one of the greatest of all Jewish mystics.</div>
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In the movie, Pi does not mention Luria by name, but he does say that he lectures on Kabbalah at the university. Given this reference (and a few others I will explain below), I feel justified in assuming that there are Jewish mystical themes encoded in the story, even though they are presented mostly in terms of Hinduism. As I am a visual-oriented person (one of my autistic gifts), I will focus primarily on the movie, while using the book for more background references as needed.</div>
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<b>(Warning: If you read beyond this point, you will encounter spoilers, so if you have not read the book and/or seen the movie, stop here or proceed at your own risk!)</b></div>
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In both the book and the movie versions, Pi Patel's father owns a zoo, so he grows up with a lot of practical knowledge about animals. He is also very interested in religions. In addition to his mother's Hinduism, he explores Christianity and Islam, finding truth in all three paths and combining their practices in his daily life. His brother ridicules him for this, while his father tries to convince him that "religion is darkness" and that rational thinking -- science -- is the way of "the new India." Pi replies with the words of Mahatma Gandhi: "All religions are true."</div>
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The book goes into considerable detail about the three theologies and the differences among them, while the movie relies more on visual scenes of worship to get this point across. The book has a poignant -- if hostile -- marketplace encounter, with Pi's three religious teachers each claiming him for their own faith. The movie leaves this scene out, perhaps because it might offend viewers, or else be over the heads of children in a PG audience. It is well worth reading if you haven't already.</div>
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Pi is especially puzzled by Christianity, because he cannot understand why God would allow his innocent son to suffer for the sins of the guilty. To him this makes no sense at all. The question of suffering recurs throughout the story. How can a God who loves us still allow us to suffer?</div>
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<b>The shipwreck</b></div>
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Because of political changes in India (during the administration of Indira Gandhi), Pi's father decides to close the zoo, sell the animals, and move the family to Canada. They will travel with those animals headed for North America on a Japanese-owned freighter named the <i>Tsimtsum. </i>Which brings us to the second Kabbalistic reference in the story. Although <i>Tsimtsum</i> might look like a Japanese name, it is in fact Hebrew, and means "contraction" or "withdrawal." It refers to the teaching of Isaac Luria which says that, before the Creation, everything was infinite God-essence. In order for God to create the universe as we know it, God first had to create a vacant space -- a void -- for it to exist in. God did this by withdrawing -- contracting -- Him/Herself. Within this void, God is hidden, allowing for free will and for independent creatures like us to exist. </div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">That's all very interesting, but why did author Jann Martel name the ship <i>Tsimtsum? </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In a <a href="https://kabbalahexperience.com/life-of-pi/" target="_blank">blog article </a>on this topic, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">David Sanders quotes Martel on this question: </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">“I wanted a representative scoop of religions in the book – Hindu, Christian, Islam. I would have loved to have Pi be a Jew, too, but there are no synagogues in Pondicherry [where the family was from in India]. So I chose </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue Light", HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Tsimtsum</i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> as the name of the Japanese cargo boat because, although it sounds Japanese, it is a Hebrew word.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">So my intuition was correct: Martel wanted to include Jewish mysticism in the mix, but like God in the cosmic tsimtsum, it is hidden. However, I think the symbolism goes deeper than that. Genesis says that the world was "void and formless," with the spirit of God moving upon "the deep," often visualized as a vast ocean. The <i>Zohar</i> describes Creation as beginning with a primal point (singularity?) within the void, which then expanded. When the ship sinks, </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Pi's world is contracted into a single point -- the lifeboat -- on a vast formless ocean, reversing Creation to chaos, so to speak. The imagery in the movie shows this in several scenes, with Pi's boat a mere speck upon the ocean. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">Director Ang Lee has stated that he specifically researched the philosophy of Isaac Luria to understand the concept of tsimtsum and incorporate it into the film. </span><a href="http://jewishjournal.com/mobile_20111212/110416/" style="font-size: 14px;" target="_blank">(source)</a><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr79olVTX_64CvPKb-fZvUARLo4f6kUNULF5OMHiobJ43Rsx2LX1pps8jcosS96uiPhtJbnYVBj6cH3B0q-JzwUPBnUe5NIFkdW00nBcb-7_SWWZDKZNw9eXIacijF6JtlS4JkzxC8OeU/s1600/Pi-as-above-so-below.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr79olVTX_64CvPKb-fZvUARLo4f6kUNULF5OMHiobJ43Rsx2LX1pps8jcosS96uiPhtJbnYVBj6cH3B0q-JzwUPBnUe5NIFkdW00nBcb-7_SWWZDKZNw9eXIacijF6JtlS4JkzxC8OeU/s1600/Pi-as-above-so-below.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"As above so below" -- the clouds reflecting in the water <br />
make it appear as if the boat is in the sky</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The movie also uses another common Kabbalistic theme: "As above, so below." This is the idea that the physical world "below" is a reflection of the higher spiritual world "above." In numerous scenes we see the sky reflected in the water to the point that there is no horizon, no differentiation between the two. In the contraction of Pi's world, everything blends into one.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">In one scene, Pi looks into the ocean and sees the whole universe reflected -- reminiscent of a childhood story told earlier by his mother, about how the Hindu god Krishna</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> opened his mouth and the universe was seen within it. (The CGI graphics of the two scenes are very similar.) </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Once again, we are reminded of the spirit of God moving upon the waters in Genesis.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>The voyage</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Pi makes it to the lifeboat, along with four animals: a wounded zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger named Richard Parker, a name he got through a mix-up of paperwork. There is a lot of focus on name changes in this story. Pi's first name is Piscine, from the French. But the bullies in his school take to mispronouncing it as "Pissing," so he re-names himself Pi. (In the movie he impresses everyone by writing out the number Pi to hundreds of digits.) The Tiger was supposed to be called "Thirsty," but ended up as Richard Parker instead. In both cases, a less dignified name was replaced by a better one. In the Bible, a number of characters are given new names to reflect a new status.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The zebra and orangutan are killed by the hyena, which in turn is killed by the tiger. This leaves Pi alone with a vicious, hungry predator. At first Pi is terrified, but he soon realizes that he and the tiger must co-exist. He therefore works to establish his dominance and define their territories, using the methods of a circus trainer. Various interpretations for this relationship have been put forth, most centering on some form of the tiger being his animal self. This also fits with Jewish</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> thought, where we have both a good side <i>(yetzer tov) </i>and a bad side <i>(yetzer ha-ra.) </i>One cannot destroy the bad side, but one can learn to control it, as Pi does with the tiger. In the book he considers various ways to destroy the tiger, but comes to realize that they need each other to survive. "My fear of him keeps me alert, tending to his needs gives my life purpose," he explains. Jewish mysticism would say the same thing about the <i>yetzer ha-ra. </i>Properly controlled, it motivates us to keep going in this world.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>The carnivorous Island</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">One of the strangest episodes in Pi's voyage is the floating island full of meerkats. Safe by day, the island becomes carnivorous at night. This is so weird that many readers see it as pure fantasy. I would like to suggest it is a combination of reality and imagination. No, there are no ecosystems like the one Pi describes. However, there are many small islands in the Pacific, and floating islands of volcanic pumice -- some with trees -- have been reported. (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_island" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue Light", HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" target="_blank">Read more...</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">) Carnivorous plants also exist in some places. So these elements do have a ring of truth.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">By the time Pi gets to this island, he and Richard Parker are so close to death as to be delirious. In the movie they have just gone through a terrible storm where Pi cries out to God, "I lost my family, I lost everything. I surrender. What more do you want?" He has reached the depths of despair, the deepest dark night of the soul. He fully expects to die. So why couldn't there be a real island with some sort of animals on it, that Pi mis-remembers in this state of confusion? If you compare the images of the island trees with the banyans he walked among back in India, they are very similar. And the meerkats do look more ratlike as they run up into the trees.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezhZgapufSZ8ik-bd_jnZsA0VoMp8ZdId8X4fpUAGca-To3pbujSCq_UCcztSVTGsadkDoH7i6Rwo6HmEHNgMpne7ilM6_4Y-lju4QsgZABpgHB9gdfiMu6xaGo9TRhcFUtsEzvNfw8c/s1600/pi-island-vishnu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="142" data-original-width="355" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezhZgapufSZ8ik-bd_jnZsA0VoMp8ZdId8X4fpUAGca-To3pbujSCq_UCcztSVTGsadkDoH7i6Rwo6HmEHNgMpne7ilM6_4Y-lju4QsgZABpgHB9gdfiMu6xaGo9TRhcFUtsEzvNfw8c/s320/pi-island-vishnu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shot of The Island, enhance by me to make the<br />
reclining Vishnu shape stand out more clearly. </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Another aspect of the island is mystical. In the beginning of the movie, we are told that the Hindu god Vishnu "sleeps on the boundless ocean of consciousness" and the universe is his dream. After Pi learns about Christianity, he thanks Vishnu for leading him to find Christ, and touches a small statue of Vishnu reclining. When we see the island from afar, it has this same shape, formed by the outline of the trees. This suggests the possibility that the island may be some form of miracle, that God is watching over Pi and Richard Parker even if hidden. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">But although the island suggests sweet repose, it is a false peace. All that the island gives in the daytime, it takes away at night. And it is lonely. Pi could have stayed there forever, eating plants by day and sleeping with the meerkats in the trees by night, but it was an empty existence. When he finds a human tooth embedded in a fruit (which opens like a lotus in the movie) and realizes that some previous castaway had died there, he decides to leave and takes the tiger with him.</span></span></div>
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<b>The two stories</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFpUTqnp09csB_eLPD-9tWnnl6gSVyycySAy1EP9RCU4hwTwg8MvjCsSq030b24DisePcrQc34wenAv2VY8rwOiwHPSvUxDSlUtaB15iPvJhzDPP-AAw0Vck9xe00xZlwvqjM0gCZUkM/s1600/pi-richard-parker-jungle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFpUTqnp09csB_eLPD-9tWnnl6gSVyycySAy1EP9RCU4hwTwg8MvjCsSq030b24DisePcrQc34wenAv2VY8rwOiwHPSvUxDSlUtaB15iPvJhzDPP-AAw0Vck9xe00xZlwvqjM0gCZUkM/s1600/pi-richard-parker-jungle.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard Parker walks off into the jungle</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">After 227 days of survival on the high seas, Pi is washed ashore in Mexico. As he lies exhausted on the beach, Richard Parker walks off into jungle without even looking back The tiger is never seen again. This deeply saddens Pi, who even years later wishes there had been some sort of final look or growl in parting. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">In the book, during the first part about life in a zoo, Pi told the story of a black panther that escaped the Zurich zoo in winter and survived on its own for several months. Now we know this was to lay the groundwork for the possibility that Richard Parker also survives in the South American jungle. Still, Pi misses him deeply.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Once back in civilization, parts of the voyage sound too strange to be true. The two Japanese insurance investigators don't believe him, and ask for an ordinary story to put in their report, one that their company will believe. So he obliges them and tells a more common type of lifeboat survival tale, one of treachery, murder and cannibalism, in which only he survives. In this second story, the zebra is a wounded sailor, the hyena is a barbarous cook, the orangutan is his mother, and he is the tiger. I</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">n its own way, this tale is also hard to believe, because his mother and father can't swim, his brother refused to get up to investigate the loud noise or explosion, and all three were </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">down below when the ship sank. Only Pi was on deck because he went up to see the storm.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">So which story is true? In both stories the ship sinks, Pi loses his family, suffers for 227 days at sea and is the sole survivor. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In the end, neither story explains why the ship sank. Neither explains Pi's suffering. Neither can be proven true or false. The only witness other than Pi is Richard Parker, who disappeared into the jungle, so Pi cannot prove he ever existed. On a pragmatic level, does it really matter?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Pi then asks, "Which is the better story?" The writer who</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> is interviewing him says that the one with the tiger is better. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Japanese insurance men apparently agree, because in the end, they include the tiger story in their report. I myself also agree: the first story is the best one. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">As Rebbe Nachman of Breslov once said, "Not all the stories are true, but when the people tell them, they are holy." </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">One cannot prove religion one way or another. Is rationalism really better than mysticism? What if life really is a random jumble of meaningless events? Can we live with that? It is the nature of human beings to seek meaning in life, to bring order out of chaos. Whether or not Richard Parker was real, without the tiger, Pi would not have survived.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Above all things, don't lose hope," read the survival manual in the lifeboat. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Never despair!" taught Rebbe Nachman. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The better story is the one with hope.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYeUSJDxq86HVvE8qpJWFp_6zjzj0CI2rLnFamnt8e6Vc92vgOYT-ciTragOVbZN0Jb_NCHJAEdOEZodcUSzYLOWG5didafeIAh-a9pItYL_jozdoCRwmCkpMBO5S8Y3m_n4x2Aeh66Q/s1600/pi-mystic-tiger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYeUSJDxq86HVvE8qpJWFp_6zjzj0CI2rLnFamnt8e6Vc92vgOYT-ciTragOVbZN0Jb_NCHJAEdOEZodcUSzYLOWG5didafeIAh-a9pItYL_jozdoCRwmCkpMBO5S8Y3m_n4x2Aeh66Q/s1600/pi-mystic-tiger.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">(This post was updated by the author on 11/1/2017)</span></div>
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Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-14677065059125568552017-09-25T11:41:00.003-05:002019-09-12T19:02:11.420-05:00Guest Column: "To Save a Life" by Rocky Schwartz<i>Editor's Intro: Each year I write a column about why I oppose using chickens for Kapporos, the pre-Yom Kippur ceremony practiced by some Orthodox and Hasidic Jews. I have written about it from the standpoints of history, of Jewish mysticism, of public opinion, of culture wars and politics. In all of those stories, the chickens themselves were anonymous, suffering en masse in the background. This year, I received this story about one individual chicken whose life was spared at a Kapporos site, and the compassionate way that came about. I was deeply touched by this true tale, and so I offer it to here, my readers. Perhaps seeing one chicken as an individual life will help you to see all of them as God's creatures, each with his or her own story to live. (Rabbi Gershom) </i><br />
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<b><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">To Save a Life</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #20124d;">by Rocky Schwartz</span></b></div>
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On a Monday night in October, we walked into hell. We had come to protest an Orthodox Jewish ceremony called <i>Kapporos,</i> in which chickens are slaughtered before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Although I myself am Jewish, I am not Hasidic and did not grow up practicing <i>Kapporos.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOaceiBfTmTOnG72GOcczYJgK0oCdympXulLhJC0Xn65VL9mkgH4dvOlSZGmvA6Nuis_jO_HjkdZNlDyg4xT6NCX0wi5LvUU4Fj7XSAxVXyscZZ6nQlODGKUkbvgb5IZqc3FwIggGMSng/s1600/kapparot-crate-closeup-048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOaceiBfTmTOnG72GOcczYJgK0oCdympXulLhJC0Xn65VL9mkgH4dvOlSZGmvA6Nuis_jO_HjkdZNlDyg4xT6NCX0wi5LvUU4Fj7XSAxVXyscZZ6nQlODGKUkbvgb5IZqc3FwIggGMSng/s200/kapparot-crate-closeup-048.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kapporos chickens in a crate</td></tr>
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On a busy street corner, men were grabbing six-week-old baby birds, flipping them upside down and slicing their throats. Behind them, a truck sat on the sidewalk, filled with crates stacked upon crates of more babies.<br />
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When I immediately began sobbing at the horror of the sight, a dozen little boys gathered around me, mocking and laughing. Someone shouted, "Kill it right in front of her!" He swung a young peeping chicken by her wings.<br />
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I was horrified that such young people could be so callous toward baby animals suffering before them. The adults present either did not see what was happening, or they did not care.<br />
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After I composed myself (read: put up all the mental walls so as to not truly see the reality in front of me), I joined about 50 activists who stood protesting the slaughter. Tensions ran high on both sides, but I tried to remain calm. I walked among those who were swinging the birds, telling them:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFfi2Pk3QwpYbLCBGNkOBVj0ITJilXLqsbv_KeklNkR6urKLcZLD3Oe1x5bwOwjXjJjJAXiNMLFuMaqQYdX_qomKshI7bUjH38SL9AAdQ0w4P3VCn81jUtt2Cu5-SdKHgtO2xkqEN-EQ/s1600/maimonides+mother+hen+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="759" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFfi2Pk3QwpYbLCBGNkOBVj0ITJilXLqsbv_KeklNkR6urKLcZLD3Oe1x5bwOwjXjJjJAXiNMLFuMaqQYdX_qomKshI7bUjH38SL9AAdQ0w4P3VCn81jUtt2Cu5-SdKHgtO2xkqEN-EQ/s320/maimonides+mother+hen+poster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>They feel.</b></div>
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<b>They feel pain.</b><br />
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<b>They want to live.</b><br />
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<b>They are fighting for their lives.</b><br />
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<b>*You* have a choice.</b><br />
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Some people responded, "Yes, I have made my choice," meaning that they had decided to have their bird slaughtered. I told them the birds didn't have a choice in having their lives taken from them. Most ignored or mocked me, but one young girl, maybe 12 years old, spoke with me. She told me her name was Rose, and said a lot of people were listening to us and and having their minds changed, even if they did not say so in public. She herself was torn. Should she follow the lead of her parents or not?<br />
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I asked her if she would do it if the animals being used were cats or dogs.<br />
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"Definitely not," she answered.<br />
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I told her the birds are no different, that they, too, feel pain and fear. I showed her the background on my phone, in which I'm hugging my late love, a rooster named Tabitha. I told her he was my best friend, but he died in January.<br />
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"And tonight," I told her, you have the choice not to take someone else's life."<br />
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"But what do I do?" she asked. "I already have a ticket!"<br />
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A fellow protester named David instructed me to ask her to still use her ticket to get a bird, but give the bird to me after the ceremony, instead of having her killed.<br />
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"I'll give her a safe home," I assured her.<br />
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"Okay," she said, "I'll find you."<br />
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I returned to the group of protesters, hopeful but not optimistic that the child would actually return and give me the chicken.<br />
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To my surprise, only five minutes later a young figure ran toward me through the crowd and shouted, "Here!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rtqMBGGUevGLCthOT8C4yGBf0U2IpQhiuE08vybCYXtCTfto29y3mtxI8uzDIQVzsVl2BahUCtveq__NiVF8j0p3S1wxXiQ8ydnEsDtT8Gq4f5YK42sVmrxfGMfRoDj5nc-ONstbf8Y/s1600/rose+as+a+baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="595" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rtqMBGGUevGLCthOT8C4yGBf0U2IpQhiuE08vybCYXtCTfto29y3mtxI8uzDIQVzsVl2BahUCtveq__NiVF8j0p3S1wxXiQ8ydnEsDtT8Gq4f5YK42sVmrxfGMfRoDj5nc-ONstbf8Y/s200/rose+as+a+baby.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose the hen at about six weeks old, <br />
soon after she was rescued</td></tr>
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It was the same girl. She quickly pushed a live hen into my hands. Then we ran in opposite directions, she back into the crowd and I toward the safety of my fellow protesters Vanessa and Steven's car. As I ran, I called out a stunned "thank you," clasping the trembling, feathered body in my arms.<br />
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On the way back to the car, I hid the small survivor behind my protest sign, shielding her from the crowd filling the street, who were killing her kin. I was also afraid someone might grab her from me. Once in the car, the chicken continued to tremble in my lap, but slowly accepted gentle petting and some water. I decided to name her Rose, after the little girl who had spared her life.<br />
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While I was sitting in the car, my partner Jay spoke with the girl. He told her how brave she was and asked if she wanted to be an animal rights activist. She told him her parents are extremely protective, that she doesn't even have a cell phone or email address. She wasn't able to protest publicly, but she did care about animals. I wondered how many others in the crowd didn't want to kill their chicken, but were not as brave as this child.<br />
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Vanessa and Steve returned to the protest, managed to convince one more man to spare a baby rooster, and then drove us home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T6zvpEo2Oj0WNWCns3y9g70rGr0E62fJ4rh4wfbURafjSmqkz-pc2LzikQ8JN-Ql4sSqJcdgBiGYj89p8a94zjVmmRaJcLfidMcls7i-dQJJ-3GOPGyJ3aRHdIm4l5mK9h6OQq1nh-o/s1600/Rose+chicken+adult.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="699" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T6zvpEo2Oj0WNWCns3y9g70rGr0E62fJ4rh4wfbURafjSmqkz-pc2LzikQ8JN-Ql4sSqJcdgBiGYj89p8a94zjVmmRaJcLfidMcls7i-dQJJ-3GOPGyJ3aRHdIm4l5mK9h6OQq1nh-o/s320/Rose+chicken+adult.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose today, as full-grown adult</td></tr>
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Safe at home, Rose the rescue hen sits contented in my lap, preening herself and my arm. Out in the expanse of our backyard, she chooses to stand beside me. When I go to put her to bed at night, she cries out in panic and runs after me toward my bed, until I sit with her as she falls asleep.<br />
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She still bears the marks of the life she escaped. Badly infected feet from days spent in filth and crammed into a crate. A too-big body for a six-week-old, still-peeping chick, the result of over-breeding for the meat industry. Anxiety from her history of trauma.<br />
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But she is one of the lucky ones. Though she was specifically destined to be part of a religious ritual, her fate was to be no different from the 263 baby chickens killed for food in the United States each second, an incomprehensible 52 billion globally each year. The only difference for her? She was seen as an individual. And a child had the power to save her life.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuWD64K7Az7aPGZDgWWlV5yqK9hTZEZVWaEgTTZ-ijNy41-cSSaWTwbAvM1UIy__vn7iceDF1UgxgDYjfQVH-40lA1NgEUxQ-4a14aiQ5w2wp1LROuGHMUV-PJl624NzBVXEON6sraYg/s1600/rose+and+Rocky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="646" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuWD64K7Az7aPGZDgWWlV5yqK9hTZEZVWaEgTTZ-ijNy41-cSSaWTwbAvM1UIy__vn7iceDF1UgxgDYjfQVH-40lA1NgEUxQ-4a14aiQ5w2wp1LROuGHMUV-PJl624NzBVXEON6sraYg/s320/rose+and+Rocky.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
The author, Rocky, and her new friend Rose<br />
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<i>Editor's postscript: Rocky refers to the birds being slaughtered as "babies." These are not fluffy baby chicks, but six-week-old broiler chickens who have been artificially over-bred to grow and gain weight as fast as possible. It is not that the Hasidim purposely choose to use ba</i><i>bies as such; rather, it is that these are the type of chickens available from the meat industry. The days of mother hens raising their chicks to maturity are long gone. If you eat chicken, the likelihood is that the bird on your plate was also a juvenile bird hatched in an incubator and killed when only a couple months old. </i><i> </i><i>They go to their deaths peeping in panic, never living long enough to cluck or crow. </i><br />
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<i>For more on this issue</i><i> read my previous 2013 post, </i><i><a href="http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2013/10/kapporos-chickens-dont-sing.html" target="_blank">Kapporos Chicken's Don't Sing! </a> about the peeping chickens, and why Hasidim do not understand that they are crying. </i><br />
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<i>See also <a href="http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2014/09/on-kapporos-baal-shem-tov-did-it-with.html" target="_blank">The Baal Shem Tov did it with a chicken, so why do you tell me not to?</a> which explains this question from the standpoint of Hasidic mysticism. </i>Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-10458456084148694342017-06-16T15:17:00.002-05:002019-05-19T13:55:43.247-05:00Reincarnation and multicultural AwarenessAs many of my readers know, I took down my old website a while back. Several people have asked where to find this essay from 20 years ago. I suppose it is archived somewhere online (nothing ever really vanishes from the Internet) but here it is again.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Multi-cultural Aspects of Reincarnation Studies</span></span></b></h2>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A presentation by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom</span></span></b></h3>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">at the Institute for Discovery Science, Las Vegas, May 1997</span></span></b></h3>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you would converse with me,</span></span></i></b></div>
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<b><b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">define your terms." (Voltaire)</span></span></i></b></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></h3>
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When Rabbi Isaac Luria, the great sixteenth century Jewish mystic, was asked to write down his teachings for future generations, he replied, "How can I know where to begin? Everything is connected to everything else." And so, he wrote almost nothing at all about his personal spiritual experiences -- not because such experiences did not exist, but because he was at a loss as to how to put them on paper without limiting them to a narrow, linear format.</div>
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I have often thought that Rabbi Luria would have been right at home on the World Wide Web, which would have allowed him to structure his writings more closely to his actual inner experiences. The Web resembles the common format of Jewish theological discussions, in that it does not have a defined starting place, nor does it have any specified end. You simply jump in wherever you are at in the moment, and every page is the "right" page for beginning the discussion.</div>
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In the Talmud, for example, everything is indeed connected to everything else. The usual lines between religion, science, history, culture, folklore, philosophy and spirituality are not so clearly drawn in Judaism as in Euro-American thought. To interact with traditional Jewish thought is to enter a spiritual ecosystem which does not have clear boundaries between "science and religion" or "secular and sacred." To an observing Jew, eating kosher food (a seemingly mundane physical act) is just as "spiritual" as sitting in contemplative prayer all day. Why? Because, from the standpoint of Jewish theology, everything in the universe is related to Jewish practice. Judaism is about the totality of life itself, not "religion" as a separate category. This is why the Bible itself begins with the story of the Creation of the entire Cosmos, not the story of Moses and the Jewish people alone.<br />
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Over the years, when speaking to non-Jewish audiences, I have learned that it is better for me to explain this "spiritual ecosystem" approach of Judaism right from the start, lest the audience begin to wonder, halfway through my presentation, whether or not I have lost the thread of logic altogether. So today I ask your indulgence for this twenty-minute period, and ask you to trust that it will all come together in the end.</div>
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<b>Some background on my work...</b><br />
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<b>Some possible questions...</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>A few watershed anecdotes...</b><br />
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The topic assigned to me is to discuss experiences in the field of reincarnation studies. As you probably already know, I am the author of two books (<i>Beyond the Ashes </i>and <i>From Ashes to Healing)</i> describing anecdotal cases histories of individuals who believe that they are reincarnated souls who died in the Holocaust. I do not limit my own interest in reincarnation to the Holocaust period alone, but, because I am a rabbi who write on this subject, I have become a focal point for this type of case.</div>
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I came to reincarnation studies from the standpoint of two very traditional schools of Jewish thought -- hasidism and kabbalah -- which have believed in reincarnation for many centuries. I, too, believe in reincarnation. Therefore, the existence of reincarnation was never in question, and the idea of people reincarnating from the Holocaust was not shocking or surprising. I was not concerned with whether or not these experiences are "real" in the objective sense. Rather, I was interested in healing the deep emotional pain which these people carried in their souls. The people who come to me do not come for purposes of scientific research, but to find some type of religious and/or spiritual context on their own personal journeys.</div>
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When I first began collecting reincarnation anecdotes over 15 years ago, I was very naive about things like scientific method and statistical analysis. I had never even heard of "false memory syndrome" or cryptonesia. After all, I'm a rabbi, not a clinical psychologist! In my first book I described myself as a lone inventor who, while puttering around in his basement, accidentally stumbled upon something that works. I still affirm that description of myself today. I know that what I have found does work as a form of healing therapy, but at times I have not got the faintest idea -- from a scientific standpoint at least -- as to how or why it works.</div>
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Over the years, as I have listened to hundreds of narratives and also learned more about parapsychology, there have been a number of questions which have arisen in my mind, regarding the nature of these memories. For example:</div>
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1) How does one determine which past-life stories are true, and which are fantasies?</div>
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2) Do we accept only those for which physical evidence or other documentation can be found?</div>
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3) Do we also give credit to stories for which no "proof" is available, but which nevertheless seem historically accurate?</div>
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4) Are there cultural biases which determine our decision to accept or reject certain anecdotal evidence as plausible?</div>
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5) Does the choice of therapist or regression technique affect the experiences of the subjects?</div>
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6) Are we sometimes unconsciously skewing our study samples because we fail to take cultural differences into consideration?</div>
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To explore this question, I will now share some watershed experiences from the past two decades that I have been involved in this field. In essence, I am going to take you on a quick hyper-tour through some of my personal "brain-sites" -- places in my mind where key experiences sent my thinking in a new direction.</div>
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<b>Brainpage #1:</b> </div>
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When I was growing up in America, I heard a nursery rhyme about "four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie" and "when the pie was opened, the birds began to sing -- wasn't that a dandy dish to set before the king!" This ditty never made any sense to me, because American blackbirds -- be they grackles, crows, cowbirds or whatever -- do not sing. They make a raucous squawking sound that would hardly be a suitable gift for a king! So the imagery in this poem always puzzled me -- until I went to Europe on a speaking tour, and heard the European blackbird, which does indeed sing! Although it looks black like our blackbirds, it is, in fact, from a totally different genus -- the thrushes -- and is more closely related to the American Robin. Suddenly, I understood the nursery rhyme.</div>
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For the rest of that European tour, this story was my a paradigm for me to explain the pitfalls of inter-cultural dialogue in relation to reincarnation and afterlife studies. It is perfectly possible for two people from two different cultures to be using the exact same words and/or imagery to describe and experience, but hear them in very different ways. That insight became my theme for the rest of that speaking tour, and becomes the connecting thread for the rest of the seemingly unrelated -- but closely interwoven -- narratives I will share here.</div>
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<b>Brainpage #2:</b></div>
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Right from the start, I inadvertently skewed the sample in my first book by failing to take into account a vast cultural difference between Jews and non-Jews. I am not talking about religion per se, nor am I talking about what Jews and Christians believe about going to heaven. No, it's much more subtle than that. I'm talking about a basic behavioral difference that manifests itself among even the most secularized Jews and gentiles.</div>
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That important difference is this: Gentiles frequently tell their personal stories in public, but Jews usually do not. In the traditional Jewish world, it is not the usual practice for people to share their private dreams, visions, and other spiritual experiences in a book. This is not about shame or embarrassment -- it is about modesty and humility. How so? Because the Talmud says that the Biblical prophets only wrote down those dreams and prophecies which were intended for the entire Jewish people as a whole, for generations to come. Certainly they also has personal dreams and visions, but these were kept private, to be discussed only one-to-one with a teacher or fellow prophet.</div>
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Thus, from a very early point in Jewish history, a social pattern was established, whereby one does not publicly reveal a personal dream or vision from the pulpit, because that would be tantamount to declaring oneself to be a prophet. This attitude has carried down through the centuries so that today, even in modern secular situations such as AA groups or other 12-step recovery programs, Jews are often very uncomfortable with the testimonial format -- so much so, that many Jewish-sponsored recovery and support groups do not use this format at all.</div>
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On the other hand, the non-Jewish world in America has a long history of telling one's story in public. Many Christian sects testify in front of the congregation, while the above-mentioned 12-step programs also use this method of processing personal problems. In the New Age community, too, we find a plethora of holistic therapies which are based upon telling your dreams and visions. And, of course, in the world of psychology, the group therapy format is common.</div>
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Given this vast difference in cultures, is it any wonder that, when I put out a call for Holocaust reincarnation stories, I got twice as submissions from gentiles as from Jews? Unfortunately, based upon this totally unscientific sample, I naively reported that "two thirds of the cases came back as non-Jews," and this blooper has come back to haunt me ever since. But I learned a great lesson as well; we are indeed products of our cultures, every one of us, and hidden biases do sometimes lead us to make serious mistakes in research.</div>
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<b>Brainpage #3:</b> </div>
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A past-life therapist is working on a book about people who believe that they were the opposite sex in their previous incarnation. Her editor thought the book was not well-balanced because all of here case histories were about women who believe they were men in a previous life. When she told me about this, I was puzzled, because it is a statistical fact that transexuality (a prime possibility for transgendered reincarnation) occurs more often from male-to-female (where a man has a sex change to a woman), and it would seem logical that transsexuals might be possible subjects for a study on the transgender soul experience. Why, then, was she unable to find any men who thought they were women in another life?</div>
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Several possibilities came to my mind:</div>
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1) Western society feels less threatened by masculine women than by effeminate men, so it would probably be more difficult for a man to say he believed he was once a woman in another life, because he would fear being called effeminate in this life;</div>
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2) Politically-correct gay and lesbian theory often discredits the idea of "women trapped in men's bodies," so cases from that quarter might not come forward;</div>
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3) Transexuals often distrust psychologists, so they may not open up about their inner beliefs in a clinical setting;</div>
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4) In general, more women than men seem to be interested in psychical topics (judging by the audiences that I see), so it might be that more women than men are willing to participate in the study;</div>
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5) The researcher herself is a woman, so maybe women are more willing to open up to her than men would be.</div>
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All of these possible factors might contribute toward skewing the sample. The obvious solution, of course, would be to look for volunteers from other areas of society besides the therapy community. It will be interesting to see if publishing her research attracts a more balanced sample in the future. In my case that is certainly what happened. After my first book came out in 1992, many Jews apparently felt that, because the book was written by a rabbi, it gave them "permission" to talk about their own Holocaust reincarnation experiences in public. Suddenly I was inundated with calls and letters from Jews who also had past-life memories of dying in the Holocaust -- so much so, that I now believe the majority of Jewish victims probably came back as Jews again in the post-war generations.</div>
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<b>Brainpage #4: </b></div>
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A recent study by Sukie Miller on what different religions and cultures believe about the afterlife made the totally inaccurate statement that "formal Judaism has no teachings about life after death." When I asked the researcher (who is herself Jewish) what she meant by "formal Judaism," it turned out that she was speaking primarily of modern American Judaism as experienced by the (in her words) "man-on-the-street." This is hardly formal Jewish theology! As every clergyman knows, the "man on the street" can be woefully ignorant of what his or her religion actually teaches.</div>
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I then asked Miller if she had interviewed any Hasidic Jews (who not only believe in an afterlife, but in heaven, purgatory, and reincarnation as well!) No, she replied. The questionnaires had gone out mostly to Jewish students and colleagues in her university circle. Unfortuately, such "cultural Jews" tend to be assimilated, very secularized, and not actively practicing or studying Judaism. In many cases, their understanding of Judaism does not come from actual exposure to the religious texts and commentaries, but from folklore that has filtered down (often very inaccurately) from family members who are descendants of Jews who used to be religious. Even worse, secular ideas about Judaism often reflect the dominant culture's attitudes about the "Old testament" which are not really Jewish at all.</div>
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In other words, Miller's much-touted research did not really get a cross-section of what formal Judaism teaches about the afterlife -- only a sample of what secularized Jewish academians think it teaches -- which, in many cases, turns out to be "when you are dead, you're dead." By failing to include the more mystical branches of Judaism, such as the Hasidic Jews (who do not, as a rule, attend secular universities), the researcher inadvertently mis-informed the public that "formal Judaism" has no teachings about life after death.</div>
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<b>Brainpage #5:</b> </div>
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In my second book, <i>From Ashes to Healing, </i>there is a detailed description of the afterlife by a woman named Abbye Silverstein. Silverstein is Jewish in this life, and grew up in a home where the Sabbath and holiday observances were a part of family life. She also believes that she was Jewish in her previous life, again from a traditionally-observant family. So naturally, she understands her past-life memories within a totally Jewish context.</div>
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Under hypnosis, Silverstein described how she had died in a car accident around the time that Hitler came to power. She does not, therefore, have memories of the Holocaust itself, but she does claim to remember working in the spirit world as a healer for Jewish souls who died in the camps. She described their astral bodies as being "crippled" and "mangled" because of the pain and torture they had experienced. In order for them to be able to heal spiritually, the angels created an area in heaven which was a duplication of the villages that the Nazis had destroyed. There they were re-united with their families and friends. After spending some healing time in this nurturing Jewish environment, the souls were ready to reincarnate on earth again -- as Jews born in the post-war "baby boom" generation.</div>
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The public reaction to Silverstein's story has been very informative from the standpoint of multi-cultural awareness. By and large, Jews relate to it very well. So do people who have been abused in this life. Both groups understand the need to have a safe place where abuse victims can heal without fear of further abuse. Just as a rape survivor might need to spend time in an all-woman therapy group in order to be able to open up about her feelings from this experience, so, too, might Jewish souls feel more comfortable healing among other Jews who can understand the deep levels of their pain and suffering.</div>
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On the other end of the spectrum, many New Agers do not relate to Silverstein's story at all. New Age teaches that we must experience a smorgasbord of cultures in different lifetimes in order to grow spiritually. So the idea of a soul coming back repeatedly into the same culture is rejected outright -- well, almost. Because although New Age Thought resists the idea of Jews coming back as Jews, it apparently has no problem with Tibetans coming back as Tibetans. In numerous instances where somebody in the audience has told me that coming back as a Jew over and over again would be spiritually limiting, I have asked if they felt the same way about the Dalai Lama coming back for fourteen incarnations as the Dalai Lama. Not once has anybody told me that the Dalai Lama was spiritually limited because of this!</div>
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When the same experience -- being reborn into the same culture for many lifetimes -- is interpreted as "spiritual" for Tibetans but "limited" for Jews, we have to ask ourselves: are we seeing a subtle form of antisemitism at work? If so, is it possible that similar prejudices color our perceptions of other reincarnation stories? And does this prejudice, in turn, affect the sample of people who are willing to be included in these studies?</div>
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As I travel from place to place, speaking in front of numerous audiences, I cannot help but notice that the vast majority of New Agers in America are middle-class, dominant culture people of European background. Which raises yet another question: Are New Age perceptions of the afterlife really universal, or are they, too, culturally limited?</div>
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<b>Brainpage #6</b>:</div>
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I was in Berlin, speaking at a conference on "Reincarnation and Karma," sponsored by the Anthroposophical Society. Anthroposophy is a European esoteric philosophy that was founded at the turn of the twentieth century by the German philosopher and psychic, Rudolf Steiner. (Best known to the American public as the founder of the Waldorf method of education.) Anthroposophists believe in reincarnation.</div>
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So far, so good. However, when we began to dialogue in more depth, it became apparent that there are some very big differences in theory between what Anthroposophists believe about the levels of the soul, and what I as a hasid believe. These differences, in turn, tended to affect how we interpreted the value of reincarnation anecdotes. I was told [by several Anthroposophists] that descriptions of the afterlife which include detailed physical imagery -- such as Abbye Silverstein's past-life memories referred to above -- could not be very deep spiritual experiences, precisely because they are so detailed!</div>
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Among American researchers of esoteric subjects, the more detailed the descriptions, the more credible they seem to us. But from the standpoint of Rudolf Steiner's philosophy, such clearly-formed visions would belong to the lower astral planes, while the higher planes are like unformed swirls of undifferentiated energy.</div>
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My mind raced back to my first impression of the children's art work at the Waldorf school in Minneapolis. Nobody was drawing houses, horses cars and trucks -- the usual things children make in primary school art class. Instead, the walls were covered with artwork that was literally fuzzy around the edges, without clearly-defined forms and boundaries. To me, all the childrens' painting looked alike. I saw no individuality in them at all -- even though Anthroposophy places a strong emphasis on the development of individuality. So what was going on here?</div>
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I later spoke at the Goetheanum -- the Anthroposophist headquarters in Dornach, Switzerland -- where I saw that the artwork on the walls was also done in the same abstract swirls of pastel colors. This, I was told, is because the paintings represented the creative energy of higher spiritual worlds. Clearly, the Anthroposophists have been conditioned from childhood to "see" these swirling colors as representing something spiritual. But are they "higher levels" than the more concrete details that others experience in visions? Or are they just one more way that a specific culture expresses a generic experience?</div>
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<b>Brainpage #7:</b></div>
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I thought about the concrete, detailed vision-drawings of Black Elk, the Lakota Indian medicine man whose well-known story is told in the book, Black Elk Speaks. In his view of the afterlife, Black Elk saw horses and buffalo, trees and prairies. He saw the Tree of Life in full flower, and his tribe living on the prairie as free people more. I see a closer parallel with Silverstein's heavenly villages rather than the Anthroposophist swirls of energy. In fact, if Black Elk had seen the vague swirling forms painted by the Anthroposophists in Brainpage #4 above, he might have thought that he failed to have any vision at all!</div>
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I investigate further and find that many Native Americans, like the Jews, believe that one normally reincarnates in one's own tribal culture. I also learn that the Druse, a middle-eastern tribal culture, believe that a Druse always reincarnates as a Druse again. And many Druse children do describe memories of a past life which are quite accurate, to the point of recognizing family members from the previous life. Yet tribal peoples (and I include Jews here as tribal) are vastly under-represented in reincarnation studies. Are we missing something here?</div>
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<b>Brainpage #8:</b> </div>
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A psychic from an esoteric Christian background visited the site of one of the Nazi concentration camps, and sensed the presence of earthbound Jewish spirits there. The psychic tried to convince then to "go into the light," but the earthbound souls were totally terrified to do so. The Christian psychic concluded, based on her own theology, that this was because Jews do not accept Jesus, who is called "The Light of the World." She saw the earthbound souls as stubborn Jews who refuse to accept "releasement" and be free.</div>
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When I heard this story, I immediately saw another possible interpretation: In the concentration camps, to go into a bright light meant being caught in the searchlights, which, in turn, could mean being shot by the guards. To hide in darkness was safety; light was danger. Over and over, Holocaust survivors have told how they huddled together in darkness, fearing at any moment that somebody would shine a flashlight into their hiding place. For such souls, "go into the light" has a totally different meaning! The souls refused to go, not because they were Jews against Jesus, but because they were terrified of being captured and tortured.</div>
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Unfortunately, this type of misunderstanding is very common -- even in scientific circles -- when it comes to Jews and Judaism. Many academians from Christian backgrounds, who believe themselves to be totally objective, nevertheless are so conditioned to see Judaism in a negative light, that they unconsciously make negative assumptions about Jewish reincarnation cases which they probably would not make if the same details appeared in non-Jewish cases. Nor do they appreciate me pointing out this unconscious bias.</div>
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I recently had a scientist tell me that he would prefer for me to speak as a "generic theologian" rather than as a Jew per se. From his viewpoint, it was possible to discuss "God" and "afterlife" without bringing in any specific religion. But from my viewpoint, this is an impossibility. Why? Because so much of Western theology simply assumes the Christian viewpoint in such subtle ways, that I, as a Jewish theologian, must begin by defining his terms and explaining how words like "Heaven," "soul," "salvation," "prophecy," etc. have very different meanings. Say "Heaven," and a Christian automatically pictures angels on clouds, while a religious Jew pictures scholars learning Torah in the Garden of Eden. Both cultures use the word "Heaven," but the word itself means very different things. Which brings us full circle to where we started -- with the story of the European and American blackbirds.</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
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An ongoing conclusion</h3>
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These are just a few of the "brainpages" which I try to keep in mind as I travel and speak in multi-cultural situations. Is it possible to completely set aside one's own cultural background when evaluating the reincarnation stories? Probably not. But if we can remain consciously aware that these differences exist, then perhaps we can begin to broaden our understanding of reincarnation through contact with cultures which, up to this point, have been inadvertently excluded from this area of study in Western circles. It is my hope that as we enter the 21st century, we will begin to see how, as Rabbi Luria saw five centuries ago, everything is, indeed, interconnected with everything else.</div>
</div>
Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-48803680750490811802017-05-02T16:15:00.001-05:002019-10-24T11:47:32.191-05:00Parable of the Rooster Prince <div style="background-color: white;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1HN_uNlX1s9Or63c_pu2F24nIFdp2z0z4sHxY82r8xj7_c_p2gMPOHOr1eej8blKgShZIhw3Y95hgCXJdh6JegODc1CoJT2cgQ_jGTL1d0VxYVpeTc34FksxuZFiurXKZAmGnJWD-FY/s1600/rooster+prince.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1HN_uNlX1s9Or63c_pu2F24nIFdp2z0z4sHxY82r8xj7_c_p2gMPOHOr1eej8blKgShZIhw3Y95hgCXJdh6JegODc1CoJT2cgQ_jGTL1d0VxYVpeTc34FksxuZFiurXKZAmGnJWD-FY/s1600/rooster+prince.gif" /></a></div>
<h3>
<b>A tale of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov</b></h3>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<b>(As told by Yonassan Gershom)</b><br />
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Once there was a prince who went mad and insisted he was a rooster. He sat under the table naked, clucking and eating his food off the floor. The king had tried everything to cure him, but nothing worked, and he was in despair. How could this mad son of his ever grow up to inherit the kingdom?<br />
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Then a Hasidic Rebbe arrived and said he could cure the prince. The king was desperate, so he said, "OK, fine, go ahead, I'll try anything..."</div>
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So the Rebbe took off his clothes and sat under the table, pretending to be a chicken, too. The king was totally shocked. No doubt he had expected the Rebbe to argue with the prince or try to verbally beat it out of him. But the Rebbe knew what he was doing. And so, sitting there under the table, he got to know the Rooster Prince.</div>
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Then one day, the Rebbe called for a pair of pants and began putting them on. The Rooster Prince objected, saying, "What do you mean, wearing those pants? You're a rooster -- a rooster can't wear pants!"</div>
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"Who says a rooster can't wear pants?" the Rebbe replied. ":Why shouldn't I be warm and comfortable, too? Why should the humans have all the good things?"</div>
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The Rooster Prince thought about this for a while. The floor under the table <i>was </i>very cold and uncomfortable.. So he asked for pants, too, and put them on.</div>
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The next day, the Rebbe asked for a warm shirt, and began to put it on. Again the Rooster Prince objected: "How can you do that? You are a rooster -- a rooster doesn't wear a shirt!"</div>
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":Who says so?" said the Rebbe. "Why shouldn't I have a fine shirt, too? Why should I have to shiver in the cold, just because I'm a rooster?"</div>
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Again the Rooster Prince thought about it for a while, and realized that he was cold, too -- so he put on a shirt. And so it went with socks, shoes, a belt, a hat.... Soon the Rooster Prince was talking normally, eating with a knife and fork from a plate, sitting properly at the table -- in short, he was acting human once more. Not long after that, he was pronounced completely cured.</div>
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<h3 style="background-color: white;">
Moral of the Story?</h3>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Instead of condemning the prince for being mad and acting like a rooster, the Rebbe was willing to meet him where he was and then go forward from there. Of course the prince was not really a rooster -- but the Rebbe did not try to argue him out of his madness. That would have been useless. Instead, the Rebbe began with positive reinforcement of things that the prince </span><i style="background-color: white;">was </i><span style="background-color: white;">willing to do, knowing that he would eventually drop the crazy "rooster business" on his own.</span><br />
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Sure, there were in-between stages where the prince still thought he was a rooster but was already beginning to act like a human. Similarly, there are stages in <i>tshuvah</i> (repentance) where a person may be only halfway there, keeping some of the mitzvot (Torah commandments) but not others. So maybe the guy keeps kosher already, but is not yet observing the Sabbath completely. He's on his way, but not there yet. But does the non-observance of some mitzvot invalidate the mitzvot he <i>is</i> doing? Not as far as I know, because each mitzvah has a value in itself.</div>
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Repentance is an ongoing process, not a static state of perfect observance. Nobody is totally observant, and nobody is totally sinful. We all fall someplace in the middle. As the Midrash says: <i>Even the biggest sinners in (the people) Israel are as full of mitzvot as a pomegranate is full of seeds.</i> We are all still traveling on that continuum somewhere.</div>
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The important thing is not whether we are doing everything perfectly, because nobody but God can do it perfectly, and none of us are God. The important thing is for our Jewish experience to be <i>continuously growing</i> toward an ever greater level of observance.</div>
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So, when a Jew says to me, " Look, I'm Reform, we don't do such-and-such like the Orthodox...": then I reply, "Why not? Who says a Reform Jew can't do such-and-such, too? The Torah was given to <i>all </i>of the Jews, and all of the mitzvot belong to <i>all </i>of the Jews -- so a Reform Jew can do anything that a Hasid can do."</div>
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Or, if a New Age Jew says to me that he believes in angels and reincarnation and spiritual healing, then I say, "OK, fine -- so did the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, and so do most Hasidim today! So Let's look at some of the Jewish sources for these things..."</div>
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For each Rooster Prince that I meet in the world, I try to find that point of commonality. At sci-fi conventions, I have led discussions about Jewish Themes in Star Trek. In New Age groups, I will focus more on the esoteric ideas in Hasidic thought, etc. With gardeners and farmers, I can talk about the wonders of God's Creation and how all things are singing His praises... and so forth. In this way, I seek to meet each person where they are at, and bring them closer to the Torah, which ultimately contains all of these things -- and so much more!!!</div>
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The Torah -- in its broadest sense as the totality of all Jewish teachings -- encompasses everything on earth. <i>M'lo kol ha-aretz k'vodo </i>-- "The whole world is filled with God's glory." So in everything and in every place -- even the darkest, remotest corner of the universe -- one can still find a bit of God's light, even if that light is obscured by layers and layers of seemingly crazy ideas. I look for those points of holy light, the points of agreement where we can understand each other, and then go forward from there. This is the Hasidic way.</div>
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(© copyright 1997 by Yonassan Gershom. From my old now-defunct website 20 years ago -- and still relevant!)</div>
Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-37285186493043532882017-04-07T14:45:00.002-05:002019-03-29T06:20:43.426-05:00Cleaning for Passover: Don't be a fanatic!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, once got so caught up in an obsession about getting rid of <i>chometz</i> (leavening) before Passover that it almost drove him crazy. During Passover, not only is it forbidden to eat <i>chometz,</i> it is forbidden to own it or derive any benefit from it at all. So he started worrying about whether or not there would be <i>chometz </i>in the water used during the festival. What if someone had dropped a piece of bread down the well? That could taint the whole water supply. Even the tiniest bit of <i>chometz</i> would render the water unusable for the whole eight days of the festival. <br />
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After much deliberation and minute examination of every possible halachic detail, Rebbe Nachman finally came to the conclusion that the only way to be absolutely, positively sure there was no <i>chometz</i> in the water would be to camp out next to a spring in the woods where the water bubbled up fresh and uncontaminated. The problem was, the only such spring was a long way from his home. If he went there, then he would be away from his family, his friends, his disciples, and the whole Jewish community. Was that any way to celebrate a festival? <br />
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In the end, Rebbe Nachman decided that such ultra-strictness was unnecessary, even on Passover. Being overly rigid killed the joy and led to depression. Don’t be a fanatic, he taught, and do not worry yourself sick with unnecessary restrictions. “The Torah was given to human beings, not the ministering angels.”<br />
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That’s good advice. And lest you think this obsession with “the letter of the law” is limited to Orthodox Jews, let me assure you that it occurs among secular people also. Rebbe Nachman’s lesson came to mind a while back when I received an email about a vegan woman who had decided to take her practice to the ultimate ethical vegan level and refuse to eat anywhere meat, fish, eggs, or dairy were being served. Basically, this meant hanging out only with other vegans in vegan restaurants, vegan homes, or at vegan events. <br />
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This ultra-strictness also resulted in her walking out on a reunion of family and friends that she had really been looking forward to, because they were serving meat. It was not enough that the organizers were willing to provide her with a vegan meal. Unless everyone there refused meat, the entire event was, to mix cultural metaphors, not kosher.<br />
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Many people in the vegetarian community probably lauded her utmost devotion to the cause. But if I were to do that, it would mean never eating with anyone but my wife. We are vegetarians (not vegans) and we live in a rural area where most of my family, neighbors and associates are not vegetarians, let alone vegans. If I followed that woman's advice to the letter, I would end up in an isolated social bubble, not unlike what would have happened if Rebbe Nachman had decided to camp out next to the spring in the forest during Passover.<br />
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It was this kind of fanaticism that Rebbe Nachman warned against. Yes, we must clean house, search out all leaven and remove it, change the kitchen utensils over to the Passover set, etc. But don't drive yourself insane doing it. Don't make it a burden that kills the joy of the holiday. <br />
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This is why we have the <a href="http://halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Bitul_Chametz" target="_blank">bitul chametz</a> procedure for declaring any leaven we might have missed to be null and void. This is not a mere legality. The rabbis who enacted this rule long ago were aware of the human tendency to obsess over things. There is always the possibility that we missed a bread crust the kids dropped somewhere. Or maybe a guest you invited for the Seder isn't as thorough as you are, and dropped some crumbs from his pocket on the living room rug. Or a mouse stored grain in the walls of your house... A person can go on and on about this kind of worry. <br />
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However, if we have done due diligence to remove all the leaven we know about, then renounced all ownership of what we might have missed, then <i>dayenu, </i>enough. Time to move on and celebrate!<br />
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<br />Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-86186628185610568412017-04-04T13:30:00.002-05:002017-04-05T11:35:53.802-05:00Book Review: "The 99 Names of God" by Daniel Thomas Dyer <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNcFOkCVyfM2Bhn6tHvbjy5yQLAEnxuSO1b4G9QpKR7d5TUQEguKhIa5zk15OB-bSkOKaqfbm0YngdfzU5-l_8fiD87CyMELuCeHBcpE3cjntCoCIWDtQJuByVnHOOi40oMHZQQZtLH8/s1600/99+names+of+God+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNcFOkCVyfM2Bhn6tHvbjy5yQLAEnxuSO1b4G9QpKR7d5TUQEguKhIa5zk15OB-bSkOKaqfbm0YngdfzU5-l_8fiD87CyMELuCeHBcpE3cjntCoCIWDtQJuByVnHOOi40oMHZQQZtLH8/s200/99+names+of+God+cover.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
Daniel Dyer, author and illustrator of this beautiful children's book, has created a wonderful set of lessons for connecting with God's presence in the world around us. Although <i>The 99 Names</i> is intended for Muslim children, it's really a treasure for all ages and faiths. In fact, it could be used as a basic primer on spirituality, and would be a fine addition to any religious library. I defy anyone to read this book and not come away with a deeper appreciation of God's presence in the universe.<br />
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In a time when there is so much misinformation (and hostility) about Islam in the Western world, this book goes a long way toward opening a window on what true Islam is really like. If there's one thing Jews and Muslims have in common, it's the plethora of hostile websites claiming to "unmask" us by taking quotes out of context and compiling lists of every negative thing ever said by any of us anywhere. For years it has been an uphill climb for me to convince non-Jewish readers that we Jews even <i>have</i> any spirituality. Recent dialogues with Muslim teachers have shown me that they, too, have this same struggle. Hence my delight in finding this very accessible book.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUT4tcR6MjY_UxUR4xVO2NmdT_sD0manQ4foD8qOa37Qil9hawceD2dJtb4p7q9wko-K0nhsAHDaEuZZgiD5I9E_3_mvVufbTmfeR3KRWBVvCPSHmucL2Zwv_j5NLFs4LBIrnESe96qw8/s1600/sunrise-Sept-20-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUT4tcR6MjY_UxUR4xVO2NmdT_sD0manQ4foD8qOa37Qil9hawceD2dJtb4p7q9wko-K0nhsAHDaEuZZgiD5I9E_3_mvVufbTmfeR3KRWBVvCPSHmucL2Zwv_j5NLFs4LBIrnESe96qw8/s200/sunrise-Sept-20-06.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sunset reminds us of God/Allah <br />
as The Majestic One</td></tr>
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The author begins by explaining that Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. In Arabic-speaking countries, non-Muslims -- including Christian priests -- also call God "Allah." This is an important point, since many Christians in America assume that Allah is a separate deity from the Creator in Genesis. I have more than once been told that Muslims worship Allah, not God, which is as absurd as saying that Germans worship Gott and the French worship Dieu as separate deities. In fact, "Allah" comes from the same Semitic root as "Elohim," the name of God used in the first chapter of Genesis.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzws-tu2jeifhtFO5CDFfrz4VQNs5h_qJh4BYM7PUPt26otQcusyRMaV1rfFZjP-DYlzMRbXyofm_qhx5tzrOTXM5AsfGKrSQIuWpGyDBXIt2JiqSBB_XBSp8AvkPLCDtpTk7kyEs5HPo/s1600/yellow-chick2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzws-tu2jeifhtFO5CDFfrz4VQNs5h_qJh4BYM7PUPt26otQcusyRMaV1rfFZjP-DYlzMRbXyofm_qhx5tzrOTXM5AsfGKrSQIuWpGyDBXIt2JiqSBB_XBSp8AvkPLCDtpTk7kyEs5HPo/s200/yellow-chick2.jpg" width="185" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">God/Allah is the Giver of Life </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here again, Muslims and Jews have something in common, namely, the distortion of our God-language in the American public mind. Non-Jews tends to think of the "Jewish God" as an "angry Jehovah" (which, by the way, is <i>not </i>how YHVH is pronounced) and some even go so far as to claim that Jews don't believe in God at all. The "Muslim God," Allah, is seen as nothing but a cruel warmonger. Both of these are negative stereotypes that purposely disguise the fact that all three Abrahamic religions -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- worship the same Creator of the universe.<br />
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This book serves as a primer for teaching us that true Islam is indeed a peaceful, reverent path that respects all life. Dyer, who is a British convert to Islam, was initially attracted to the faith through the poetry of Jalal'u'Din Rumi, a thirteenth century Persian mystic and scholar who taught: “Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged.” Rumi saw the evidence of God's presence everywhere. This poetic universalism comes across in the book, teaching children to build bridges, not walls, among the faiths and peoples of the world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4ggMHuLX4HUCt5oNAnNWRv_P9kUjIK8_8wq15ahD_q2DnBmJh2nLWnmh_4-KLFeL2nbOwy-po0t8KoDQvM-NTuMYqXl0RcYZ71erBL60gDFpQz7V3UWe4vQFw0BkW9TXnNGPdBS4GUY/s1600/rumi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4ggMHuLX4HUCt5oNAnNWRv_P9kUjIK8_8wq15ahD_q2DnBmJh2nLWnmh_4-KLFeL2nbOwy-po0t8KoDQvM-NTuMYqXl0RcYZ71erBL60gDFpQz7V3UWe4vQFw0BkW9TXnNGPdBS4GUY/s200/rumi.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jalal'u'Din Rumi</td></tr>
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Each lesson in <i>The 99 Names </i>has one or two Names (depending on context) in Arabic calligraphy, transliteration, English translation, and a quote from the Quran using the Name. This is followed by a simple but meaningful explanation of how that aspect of God is manifested in the world around us. Also included are teachings and stories from the Prophets and various Muslim sages, both male and female, and positive references to other religions.<br />
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Most non-Muslims (including me) would be hard put to name 99 different attributes of God -- which is what the Names really are. God is the Compassionate, The Merciful, the Sovereign, The Holy, the Source of Peace... and so many more. This, I believe, is a great gift that Islam has brought to the world at large, to remind us of how many different ways God manifests his/her Presence. All too often, we limit God to a single attribute -- such as Love or Peace -- and forget how all-encompassing Omnipotence really is. Love is an attribute of God, yes. But God is so very much more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCp9u1His_yAgLOEBwoKC19LvI3zkx7OA-sqFIFlC1Zmmm3hThUpn-6YIRHApjksn5dREfTWwFjF7IlbqDtteQ7wU73imE6khoaChyphenhyphenf4iIdVcYpDnJwT0ssGCKc0FBo_31TqPy5YbUIJY/s1600/coolio2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCp9u1His_yAgLOEBwoKC19LvI3zkx7OA-sqFIFlC1Zmmm3hThUpn-6YIRHApjksn5dREfTWwFjF7IlbqDtteQ7wU73imE6khoaChyphenhyphenf4iIdVcYpDnJwT0ssGCKc0FBo_31TqPy5YbUIJY/s200/coolio2.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cat manifests God/Allah's<br />
attribute of Watchfulness</td></tr>
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I have gained a lot of new insights from contemplating the lessons that author Daniel Dyer sees in these Holy Names. As author of a nature blog, I especially like the way the lessons connect the Names with nature, encouraging the reader to look for God's ways in all things. (The nature photos here are my own, not from the book. They are examples of how I see God/Allah's presence through the eye of my camera.)<br />
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Once again, Muslims and Jews are on a similar quest, to bring our urbanized children more in harmony with the wonders of God's world and our responsibility to care for it. This is where all people can come together in harmony, since we live on one earth. (I was also happy to read that Muhammad loved cats. Readers of this blog know that I do, too!)<br />
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Each lesson has a "Signs of (Name)" section, with many examples taken from nature. The cat, for example, is Watchful, pairs of geese are Faithful, a sunrise is Glorious. The lessons also have a "Reflections and activities" section where children and parents can discuss/do things together. As author Dyer explains in his introduction, "No answers are contained in this book. The important thing is that we learn to ask questions, reflect, research, and discuss with others to arrive at out own considered point of view." Rather than being a book of dogmas, it is a map for exploration. I highly recommend it.<br />
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(This essay was updated by the author on April 5, 2017)Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-43623232073079356152016-07-01T16:21:00.001-05:002021-07-28T22:55:56.709-05:00Why I avoid the word "Zionism" <i><span style="font-size: large;">"If you would converse with me, </span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;">define your terms." -- Voltaire</span></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O8C7rwYlb4docxdtC7rWPdM2SqtFNVf0lKf-qS6xC0Cv5lozzi6rsJLUwhM3a5dTcJP1DgaeZM6E6VfBAELF6GMVICU-BVLSSV_bCcjVtZwhyYMlgzoT75Ge8hHIOznllNoot6o9vr4/s1600/israeli-flag-question.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O8C7rwYlb4docxdtC7rWPdM2SqtFNVf0lKf-qS6xC0Cv5lozzi6rsJLUwhM3a5dTcJP1DgaeZM6E6VfBAELF6GMVICU-BVLSSV_bCcjVtZwhyYMlgzoT75Ge8hHIOznllNoot6o9vr4/s1600/israeli-flag-question.jpg" /></a><br />
The word "Zionism" is used online in so many different ways nowadays -- often with totally conflicting definitions -- that I believe it has become useless for any kind of real dialogue.<br />
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The Meriam-Webster dictionary defines Zionism as "an international movement originally for the establishment of a Jewish national or religious community in Palestine and later for the support of modern Israel." The Jewish Virtual Library has <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Zionism/zionism.html" target="_blank">a more expanded version of this definition</a>, which is pretty standard in the mainstream Jewish community. Zionism was, and still is, primarily a political movement.<br />
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But in addition to this positive version, <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Zionist" target="_blank">urbandictionary.com </a>adds a secondary negative definition for Zionist that is all too common online: "A substitute word for Jew used by antisemites who, for whatever reason, wish to hide their racist intent." And I have indeed come across people who use it that way, often the same people who use expressions like "jew the price down." But is every criticism of Israel or Zionism automatically racist? And are Jews and Zionists always synonymous?<br />
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On the other side, there are those who argue that Zionism itself is a racist ideology. Again, what exactly does that mean? <br />
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Hitler defined Jews as a race, but he was hardly an authoritative source. Biologically, Jews are not a race. Anthropologically, Jews are more like a tribal people, with the "12 Tribes" actually being 12 clans within a tribe. Converting to Judaism is more like being adopted into a tribe than just taking on a "religion." So many people of all races and nationalities have done that over the centuries that Jews now come in every possible race and nationality. So what, exactly, is meant by "Zionism is racism?" What "race" would it be promoting?<br />
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As you can see, we are already in a tangle of confusion, and it doesn't end there. Still others talk of a conspiracy theory where a secret organization called "The Elders of Zion" or "Zionist Occupying Government" (ZOG) is supposedly controlling the world (or the media, or the banks, or Congress, or Hollywood, or whatever else people are mad about at the moment.)<br />
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So, for my Twitter and Facebook readers who are constantly asking me where I stand on the subject of Israel and Zionism, here's a brief rundown of the various ways the word is used, and <i>why </i>I now shy away from using "Zionist" altogether.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuWZTdoPx7_E970PSFPIPX0tliHk0HfoocBDIpMpF_A4eENGqtKeCEz7v0Q4aNA29wG739LmthsW4zP6_rcVauRLDhwXIOvI84UqIeDmglST6tMUH5NzJQeettm5R-GzZPyR4ud4CZHo/s1600/Birnbaum_Nathan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuWZTdoPx7_E970PSFPIPX0tliHk0HfoocBDIpMpF_A4eENGqtKeCEz7v0Q4aNA29wG739LmthsW4zP6_rcVauRLDhwXIOvI84UqIeDmglST6tMUH5NzJQeettm5R-GzZPyR4ud4CZHo/s200/Birnbaum_Nathan.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan Birnbaum</td></tr>
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<b>Where does the word "Zionism" come from, anyway?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>The term Zionism was coined by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Birnbaum" target="_blank">Nathan Birnbaum</a> in 1890. Birnbaum was an Austrian journalist and freethinker who played a major role in the First Zionist Congress, but, ironically, he did not remain in the Zionist movement. His life had three main phases, representing a progression in his thinking: 1) A Zionist phase; 2) a Jewish cultural autonomy phase which included the promotion of the Yiddish language; and 3) a religious phase when he turned to Orthodox Judaism and became staunchly anti-Zionist. (More on anti-Zionist Jews below.)<br />
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The word "Zion" itself was taken from the name of Mount Zion, a hill in Jerusalem, but the exact location has shifted in the minds of the people over time. (The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Zion" target="_blank">Wikipedia page</a> discusses three different sites.) The Prophet Isaiah referred to Zion as being synonymous with Jerusalem, the seat of government in the time of King David, and prophesied that: <br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. God will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in God's paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.</i> (Isaiah 2:3) <br />
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This quote and others like it in the Bible may partially account for the antisemitic idea that Jews are out to rule the world. However, the Jewish interpretation is that A) this is something that will happen in messianic times and B) the people will <i>voluntarily </i>"walk in God's paths," not be forced to convert to Judaism. Jews do not have missionaries like some other religions do. (For more on the Jewish concept of the Messianic Age, <a href="http://www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm" target="_blank">read here.</a> Jews also do not believe everyone must be Jewish in order to be saved. You can find God through your own religion.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWCtk7uJvhxTiXXD5Ix8t33UgbiVJUT7wYNWjVoHdFHkCKgC4GHVQPdy2ooru8I4G6cFVpUzu1Imu_uGZilRXXleEJfHGqtcLYK7trd7bC5-U7_zZk_0By8cWO3esClSrJcv3U7kGrys/s1600/world+peace+children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWCtk7uJvhxTiXXD5Ix8t33UgbiVJUT7wYNWjVoHdFHkCKgC4GHVQPdy2ooru8I4G6cFVpUzu1Imu_uGZilRXXleEJfHGqtcLYK7trd7bC5-U7_zZk_0By8cWO3esClSrJcv3U7kGrys/s200/world+peace+children.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
It is important to keep in mind that Isaiah was preaching at a time when the Jews had been conquered by the Assyrians and Babylonians. So what he was prophesying was a return to self-rule, a future time of peace when the nations of the world would <i>"beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4) </i><br />
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And is that not the hope of most people on earth, to have world peace?<br />
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<b>Is criticizing Israel always antisemitic?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Not if you are criticizing specific policies. Israelis themselves are quite critical of their own government and society, as anybody who reads the Israeli press certainly knows. Unfortunately these criticisms do not get much coverage in the mainstream American press, but if you follow publications like <a href="http://forward.com/" target="_blank">The Jewish Daily Forward,</a> the English version of the <a href="http://www.jpost.com/" target="_blank">Jerusalem Post</a>, or <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/" target="_blank">Haaretz</a> you will see a wide diversity of opinions on Middle East affairs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelSt_mcHd7z4DxqnP-770avzj6SQBUPVJyTre5f20nlzn_fomYtrBVw41gXMmVL5UUxDaZHfuZVxn0Hm1onBZKPgoZfTGS86kUCryTYrt4nDsjtOO0i4D9m2vyJh2xh3-Qahb7bCNi5w/s1600/green+zionist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelSt_mcHd7z4DxqnP-770avzj6SQBUPVJyTre5f20nlzn_fomYtrBVw41gXMmVL5UUxDaZHfuZVxn0Hm1onBZKPgoZfTGS86kUCryTYrt4nDsjtOO0i4D9m2vyJh2xh3-Qahb7bCNi5w/s200/green+zionist.jpg" width="139" /></a>In Israel and the Jewish community at large, "Zionism" has a lot of different meanings, the same as "Americanism" means different things to different Americans. There are religious Zionists, secular Zionists, left-wing Zionists, right-wing Zionists, militant Zionists, pacifist Zionists, Green Party Zionists -- and everything in between. <br />
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There are even non-Jewish Zionists, often Christians who support Israel as fulfillment of the "Holy Land" prophecies in their own religion. (Read more on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Zionism" target="_blank">Christian Zionism</a>.) However, not all Christian groups agree with this stance, and many actively oppose it.<br />
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As you can see, all of these different kinds of Zionists have a lot of differences among themselves --and often criticize each other quite strongly.<br />
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On the other hand, if you oppose <i>the very existence of Israel </i>and call for its total destruction, then you will be perceived as antisemitic as well as anti-Israel. Calling for the destruction of <i>any</i> country is taken as a threat of war -- and what country would sit by and calmly let themselves be annihilated? In the same vein, what country would not fight back if people were lobbing bombs over the border? What country would not arrest people who throw stones or knife civilians on the street? Here is not the place to go into the Israel-Palestinian conflict, but it is important to keep in mind that even in this conflict, there is a wide variety of opinions. So the rule of thumb seems to be to criticize <i>policies</i> of Israel all you want, but don't deny the right of Israel to exist.<br />
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<b>What about anti-Zionist Jews? Who are they?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
It may be hard to believe today, but Zionism was not met with great enthusiasm by most Jews in its early days. The majority of rabbis objected to the idea of establishing a secular state, believing that to do so without the Messiah was blasphemy. The original Zionists were, with very few exceptions, secularized Jews who no longer observed "the religion," although they felt connected to the Jewish people as a culture. <br />
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At the time, many Europeans thought of Jews as a bunch of homeless parasites, (the old "wandering Jew" stereotype) and antisemitism was on the rise. The early Zionists believed that if Jews had a country of their own, then the non-Jews would see them as simply another nationality like Irish or French, and antisemitism would cease to exist.<br />
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Unfortunately that did not work. Antisemites simply transferred their hatred for "the Jews" to "the Zionists," carrying over all the old negative stereotypes from one to the other. More on that later.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EC5CTZ8xQ2hQ8HdouVBLqfb52WlO5ghGgZfIK6MEZXBewOueoXh3fFryvcScAjVLQY_RBTot6ZSgCJONTDHpRgEiKZVQ2r_yaROUHBmJah8Y1TSkK1bja78RWQ86t2Vez5-HQUguTX8/s1600/Satmar+protest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EC5CTZ8xQ2hQ8HdouVBLqfb52WlO5ghGgZfIK6MEZXBewOueoXh3fFryvcScAjVLQY_RBTot6ZSgCJONTDHpRgEiKZVQ2r_yaROUHBmJah8Y1TSkK1bja78RWQ86t2Vez5-HQUguTX8/s320/Satmar+protest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Satmar Hasidim protesting the Israeli draft</td></tr>
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After World War II, when the State of Israel became a reality, most Jews ceased to oppose it. However, there are still some very Orthodox groups, most notably the Satmar Hasidim, who do not recognize the State of Israel as a "Jewish" state, but see it the same as any other secular government they have lived under in the past. These groups do not object to living in Israel -- some families have been in Jerusalem for centuries -- but they are opposed to Zionism as such and refuse to serve in the Israeli army. <a href="http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2014/04/04/ultra-orthodox-jews-draw-the-line/" target="_blank">(More on that...)</a><br />
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In the past these anti-Zionist groups were marginalized in the Jewish community, but since the advent of the Internet you can find them posting on Facebook and Twitter. On March 3, 2015, <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/1.645245" target="_blank">3000 Satmar Jews protested in NYC</a> against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech claiming he spoke for all Jews. They do not see Israel or Netanyahu as representing them.<br />
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Some anti-Zionist Orthodox rabbis go so far as to say that Zionists are not true Jews -- a stance I disagree with, because <i>halachah</i> (Jewish law) does not define Jewishness according to one's politics. According to Jewish law, if your mother is Jewish or if you have formally converted, then you are Jewish, period, regardless of your level of religious observance and/or politics. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nVLvfmXfxDqqtHHOnXz8f8ELiDB9C26WjD73bgs7TVr0jBxp7udA7FShxppRU5SJwmBAnUsDV06XXUbNIDxOLalNz9NMqYWx0RHI9wuYBPKZX3XvZV7UW6OXqbRQWvbZzWgUS462t2k/s1600/religious+zionist+kipas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nVLvfmXfxDqqtHHOnXz8f8ELiDB9C26WjD73bgs7TVr0jBxp7udA7FShxppRU5SJwmBAnUsDV06XXUbNIDxOLalNz9NMqYWx0RHI9wuYBPKZX3XvZV7UW6OXqbRQWvbZzWgUS462t2k/s200/religious+zionist+kipas.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Display of Religious Zionist yarmulkes</td></tr>
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However, there are some Jews who practice what they call "religious Zionism," a more recent movement that combines the biblical idea of the Holy Land with the present government. An old saying has it that "God, the Torah, and Israel are one." The "Israel" here refers to the Jewish people, after the new name, Israel, given to Jacob by the angel. (Genesis 35:10.) Religious Zionists re-define it as referring to the <i>State </i>of Israel, giving it a nationalist twist. Some go so far as make loyalty to Israel as a requirement for being a good Jew. The anti-Zionist Orthodox groups, on the other hand, see this as a heresy. <br />
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There are also non-Orthodox and secular anti-Zionist Jews. These are individuals who are opposed to the occupation of Palestinian lands, and who see Israel as an extension of Western colonialism. This is, of course, a very simplistic definition, because there are also Zionist groups that oppose the Occupation, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_Street" target="_blank">J Street</a> and others. Opposing the Occupation does not automatically make one into an anti-Zionist. It may, however, get you called a "self-hating Jew" by the mainstream Jewish press.<br />
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<b>What about the "Elders of Zion" who secretly rule the world? </b><br />
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<u>They don't exist!</u> There is no secret cabal of Jewish Illuminati or ZOG conspiracy "shadow government." The idea dates to a book called <i>The Protocols of the meetings of the learned Elders of Zion </i>(called <i>The Protocols</i> for short) published in Russia in 1903. The book, which claims to be the minutes from a secret meeting of these "Elders," is a <a href="https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007058" target="_blank">proven forgery </a>that also contains a lot of plagiarism from other non-Jewish sources. (The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion" target="_blank">Wikipedia page</a> on this topic goes into more detail about this plagiarism.) Nevertheless the book was promoted by Hitler, and more recently has been passed around in both Arab and white supremacist circles.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmAZCZ39RP8m36af19ltXuV259Vz90cc1CLkb5KdVQU-zpBAmWlRE3WvPq_yIOXdIYjs2U2LH-j_GGTgArqPsntE1vIG7jGpvwxyNAMtsbb3nup9hMzdodSi3-4F9jqE8K0jmqpz0OSQ/s1600/ZOG+cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmAZCZ39RP8m36af19ltXuV259Vz90cc1CLkb5KdVQU-zpBAmWlRE3WvPq_yIOXdIYjs2U2LH-j_GGTgArqPsntE1vIG7jGpvwxyNAMtsbb3nup9hMzdodSi3-4F9jqE8K0jmqpz0OSQ/s320/ZOG+cartoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical ZOG cartoon implying that Jews<br />
control the American government</td></tr>
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Anybody who knows anything about real Judaism can immediately see that <i>The Protocols</i> is not only a vicious forgery, it is ludicrous in terms of style and dialogue. Unfortunately there are still gullible people who believe anything they read, and with the advent of the Internet, a lot of old junk -- much of it long discredited -- is getting resurrected from the past and posted. And since the Net is worldwide, people on the other side of the world who have never met a Jew and have no historical context for this bogus text sometimes mistake it for fact.<br />
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Among other things, this book is a source of the false definition of the Hebrew word <i>goy </i>as meaning "pig" or "subhuman" for non-Jews. (More than ironic, since the white supremicists who distribute <i>The Protocols </i>consider Jews and non-white races to be inferior and see themselves as a "master race .") <br />
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The word <i>goy</i> simply means "nation" in biblical Hebrew and occurs 550 times in reference to <i>both </i>Jews and gentiles. Genesis 10:5 uses it in a neutral way applying to non-Israelite nations. In Genesis 12:2 God promises Abraham that his descendants with be <i>goy gadol, </i>"a great nation." Exodus 19:6 refers to the Jewish people as <i>goy kadosh, </i>a "holy nation." The prophet Isaiah uses it universally when he prophesies that "<i>nation (goy) </i>shall not lift up sword against <i>nation (goy) </i>neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4) <br />
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While it is true that in recent years <i>goy </i>has sometimes been used as an insult (same as "Jew" is used by some people as an insult), that is vulgar street usage and not the true meaning of the word. However, many Jews nowadays shy away from using it to avoid misunderstanding, and prefer "gentile" or "non-Jew" instead. (Most of the time when I see it online it is being thrown at me by antisemites trying to look informed about Jews. Again pretty ironic.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7iYT8bK2eG2N8Zf0neiGl8YMEukVYXz20K3b9hXQBq4kMKyMkObZrtgsDsraE3atR4kb6TcdKnQFVH-9mbCyH3ZQ4Mkw8ZPxeJyhqFi5crBqIlAmdh8EzTuRQw27KGweVwM6W4Q2c6w/s1600/EMgbwNXXsAEc9F8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7iYT8bK2eG2N8Zf0neiGl8YMEukVYXz20K3b9hXQBq4kMKyMkObZrtgsDsraE3atR4kb6TcdKnQFVH-9mbCyH3ZQ4Mkw8ZPxeJyhqFi5crBqIlAmdh8EzTuRQw27KGweVwM6W4Q2c6w/s320/EMgbwNXXsAEc9F8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
On the other hand, the recently-coined term "goysplaining" is sometimes used, meaning when a non-Jewish "expert" explains Jewish beliefs/issues to a Jew and gets it wrong. <a href="http://forward.com/sisterhood/217607/the-art-of-goysplaining/" target="_blank">(read more on that...)</a><br />
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<b>So where do I stand on all this?</b><br />
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As I said above, the word "Zionism" is now used in so many different ways that it confuses more than clarifies. Therefore I try to avoid it altogether. But if you insist, then politically I have called myself a "non-Zionist." Zionism and the State of Israel simply do not play much of a role in my Jewish identity, which centers more on God, spirituality, and love of humanity, rather than on nationalism. I have no theological objection to the existence of the State of Israel, but I do not see it as the fulfillment of messianic prophecies, either. The <i>land </i>of Israel is holy, but the <i>State, </i>to me, is a secular government. As such it can be criticized and questioned the same as any other government.<br />
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(This article was updated on January 11, 2017 by the author)</div>
Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-71312705081781972012016-05-23T16:34:00.004-05:002016-05-23T16:53:57.930-05:00In praise of dandelions!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBgLjcckMbjwSRrHinW-_vVcTdKqSyJUMn5tFp079ZP2vM4jou2kDNTW7qWID06d9tPiEQBUnB_dXmMerytycYPcnsi1Azrr8GoSu8WKRqtxFlwtbcFTzDeAUUzRgkZo6JObnVoB67t8/s1600/100_4577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBgLjcckMbjwSRrHinW-_vVcTdKqSyJUMn5tFp079ZP2vM4jou2kDNTW7qWID06d9tPiEQBUnB_dXmMerytycYPcnsi1Azrr8GoSu8WKRqtxFlwtbcFTzDeAUUzRgkZo6JObnVoB67t8/s320/100_4577.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Why would I be praising dandelions? Aren't they the bane of every homeowner with a lawn? Yes, if you want to maintain a total monoculture in your yard. But nature abhors monocultures, and will do everything she can to diversify them. Perhaps it is time for us to rethink the way we use the land around our homes.<br />
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Early-blooming flowers like dandelions are a major source of spring food for bees, butterflies, and other pollenators. With the current bee shortage in many parts of the world, these insects need all the help they can get. So I let the dandelions alone until they are done blooming, then mow them down. Sure, that spreads the seeds around -- but since I <i>want</i> dandelions, that's no problem for me. After all, a "weed" is by definition simply a plant growing where you don't want it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our street number in spring</td></tr>
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Granted, I live out in the country, where the philosophy pretty much is "if it's green, its a lawn." In more controlled suburban neighborhoods you might have a hard time convincing your neighbors to let you have a lawn full of dandelions -- but then again, that's why I don't live there. Nature is more important to me than social status. If you visit me in the spring, you will likely be greeted with hundreds of these bright yellow flowers dotting the landscape.<br />
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Dandelions are also nutritious. In fact, they were brought to the USA as a vegetable by the French. ("Dandelion" comes from the French <i>dent de leon, </i>"Lion's Tooth," named or the jagged edges of the leaves.) Old herbals prescribe them as a cure for scurvy, and recommend eating as many leaves as you can find in the spring. Good advice at a time when people didn't understand about Vitamin C deficiency. But they did know that the plants leafed out very early and the cure worked.<br />
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You need to pick dandelion greens before the plants flower, however. Once the blooms appear, the whole plant gets very bitter -- so bitter, in fact, that I've known nature-oriented Jews to use them for the "bitter herbs" at the Passover Seder instead of the usual horseradish. (Which is perfectly kosher -- the Torah says "bitter herbs" but does not name a species.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwNeSH68nh3V-nOP9XNCz9xBPKa9G1j6OHBiT4vPQDwq5uviDAFld-fxkjsl3EzWnfnKSNHGNoQJNBxw6l_cQeGsPmRZhCXHHtzNQhZebUMSVckEmNP_Wwz3pEN8kNhNjrzYqxPRC2nY/s1600/geese+eating+dandilion+greens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwNeSH68nh3V-nOP9XNCz9xBPKa9G1j6OHBiT4vPQDwq5uviDAFld-fxkjsl3EzWnfnKSNHGNoQJNBxw6l_cQeGsPmRZhCXHHtzNQhZebUMSVckEmNP_Wwz3pEN8kNhNjrzYqxPRC2nY/s320/geese+eating+dandilion+greens.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
My chickens and geese also know the value of dandelions as food, and will choose them over other greens. Here you see two geese gobbling down fresh dandelion leaves, while ignoring the grain feed they've been eating all winter. They know good nutrition when they see it!<br />
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Dandelions can also be used to make <a href="http://www.mnn.com/food/recipes/blogs/5-recipes-for-dandelion-wine" target="_blank">dandelion wine.</a> There are a lot of good recipes online, but one thing they may not tell you is to <i>use the yellow petals only!!! </i>The first time I tried it, I used whole dandelion heads and ended up with a bitter brew that only a masochist would care to drink. That's because the green base of the flower (called the calyx) has the same bitter taste as the stems. Having learned my lesson, I now use only petals. The easiest way to prepare these is to hold the flower head in one hand and cut off the yellow ends of the petals with a scissors. A bit tedious, but you'll have a far better wine.<br />
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If nothing else, I find dandelions to be a welcome, happy greeting in spring after a long Minnesota winter. Like little yellow smiley faces, telling me to come out of hibernation -- spring is here!<br />
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<br />Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-64638561296316975762016-04-26T17:09:00.005-05:002018-06-29T08:39:41.125-05:00On heroes and political correctness: Nobody's perfect!Lately there has been a lot of discussion about removing the names of political figures from various monuments, schools, and buildings, because the people so honored are not politically correct by 21st century standards. For example, there was the recent demand by some students at Princeton University to rename the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson" target="_blank">Woodrow Wilson</a> public policy school because of Wilson's "racist" attitudes. Students claimed that the very presence of Wilson's name was offensive and made them feel "unsafe." In the end, the board of regents at Princeton decided to keep the name but also do more education and discussion about Wilson's mixed legacy. <br />
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In my opinion, this was the right choice. Wilson, like everyone else on earth, was not perfect. He is best known as the 38th U.S. President, who helped found the League of Nations, and also received a Nobel Prize. But it is also true that he <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/wilson-legacy-racism/417549/" target="_blank">supported and encouraged segregation</a>. However, nobody would argue that Wilson is being honored at Princeton for his racism. That was a flaw in his personality that we can justly criticize. But to allow this flaw to overwrite and erase all the good he did is, in my opinion, taking things too far. If we start doing that, where will it end?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzW3cfIcdAJSuE5dCrOpoKw5PcJgnab7qOUiHHHD6nGBuVeBSYyr7cZnGKgqFE8ExlOqJrfWGqiOA9uOFdsA5Qxk50hBo8ZfxuCCdy9U0tNWEdY58O3TWpP4GIgbZjJ6CmCzcit5-nHM/s1600/800px-Charles_Lindbergh_and_the_Spirit_of_Saint_Louis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzW3cfIcdAJSuE5dCrOpoKw5PcJgnab7qOUiHHHD6nGBuVeBSYyr7cZnGKgqFE8ExlOqJrfWGqiOA9uOFdsA5Qxk50hBo8ZfxuCCdy9U0tNWEdY58O3TWpP4GIgbZjJ6CmCzcit5-nHM/s320/800px-Charles_Lindbergh_and_the_Spirit_of_Saint_Louis.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Lindbergh & his plane, 1927</td></tr>
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In Minnesota, where I live, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh" target="_blank">Charles Lindbergh's</a> name probably crops up as often as Wilson's at Princeton. He is fondly remembered as the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in his little single-engine plane, the <i>Spirit of St. Louis. </i> In 1957, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spirit_of_St._Louis_(film)" target="_blank">film</a> by that name was released, with James Stuart playing the role of Lindbergh. There's a <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/charles_a_lindbergh/index.html" target="_blank">Charles A. Lindbergh State Park </a>and a <a href="http://sites.mnhs.org/historic-sites/charles-lindbergh-historic-site" target="_blank">Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site</a>, both in Little Falls, MN, where he spent his childhood. Then there's the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, where a <a href="http://www.startribune.com/msp-s-lindbergh-terminal-turns-50/138146898/" target="_blank">terminal</a> is named after him, and a reproduction of his plane (one used in the film) is on display. The original plane is at the Smithsonian's Aeronautics and Space Museum. Clearly, this daring flight is why we remember and honor Lindbergh.<br />
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But there is a dark side to this story. Lindbergh was <i>also</i> a Nazi sympathizer and an antisemite -- a fact that was recently well-documented in the PBS <i>American Experience</i> segment, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lindbergh/sfeature/fallen.html" target="_blank">Fallen Hero: Charles Lindbergh in the 1940s. </a> In 1936, Lindbergh visited Nazi Germany and was so impressed with the country's industry and revitalized economy that by 1938 he and his family were making plans to move to Berlin. Also in 1938, Lindbergh was awarded <span style="background-color: white;">the Service Cross of the German Eagle for his contributions to aviation -- presented by Hermann Goering on behalf of the Fuehrer. Lindbergh became so convinced that Hitler would inevitably win the war, he advocated for America to follow an isolationist policy and stay out of it. And he blamed the Jews for getting us into it.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">As a Jew myself, I most certainly do find this side of Lindbergh offensive. But I do not feel "unsafe" in the Lindbergh Terminal because of it. Nor do I advocate erasing his name from our history or renaming the terminal.* As with Wilson, Lindbergh is not being honored for his racism. I see him as a genius in one area, and a flawed human being in other areas. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Insisting that historical figures of the past must stand up to the scrutiny of 21st-century values is a very slippery slope. For that matter, a lot of modern heroes don't measure up in every way, either. If we insist that all of our heroes be absolutely perfect, then we shall soon have no role models at all. Sometimes it is necessary, as Rabbi Meir in the Talmud once said, to keep the kernel and throw away the chaff.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">*Although in a way it was renamed, as Terminal 1, because apparently out-of-state people could not distinguish between the Lindbergh Terminal and the Humphrey Terminal and got lost. But apparently they <i>can </i>tell the difference between 1 and 2. As of this writing, there is currently a movement to rename Lindbergh Terminal-1 after Prince: see <a href="http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/04/22/msp-terminal-prince-petition/" target="_blank">http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/04/22/msp-terminal-prince-petition/</a></span><br />
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See also my Nov 20, 2017 article, <a href="http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2017/11/frankens-apology-jewish-perspective.html" target="_blank">Franken's Apology: A Jewish Perspective,</a> which explores the question of repentance and forgiveness for flawed leaders (and the rest of us, too.).</div>
Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-91015902500378933412015-12-09T17:13:00.000-06:002017-11-01T16:18:43.495-05:00Kapporos and storytelling: A reply to Shmarya Rosenberg's critical review of my book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvFl_-T_8z48cBtbeeGmnvgD634B4knPn6qnaUh2CA7E5zISZd1Hd3B-9S4Fe-GtffoF39LQpUcfflBG7XKthGzY0Oon5NiGjDcgxbDVxt_qvLWl2QJxlpbaIbZxJ1BQ8_H-gu-0Est4/s1600/Kapporos+cover+mock-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Kapporos Then and Now: Toward a More Compassionate Tradition" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvFl_-T_8z48cBtbeeGmnvgD634B4knPn6qnaUh2CA7E5zISZd1Hd3B-9S4Fe-GtffoF39LQpUcfflBG7XKthGzY0Oon5NiGjDcgxbDVxt_qvLWl2QJxlpbaIbZxJ1BQ8_H-gu-0Est4/s320/Kapporos+cover+mock-up.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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Shmarya Rosenberg, creator and webmaster of the Failed Messiah website, completely missed the point of my new book,<i> <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/yonassan-gershom/kapporos-then-and-now-toward-a-more-compassionate-tradition/paperback/product-22200409.html" target="_blank">Kapporos Then and Now: Toward a more compassionate tradition, </a></i>in his September 22, 2015 review on his blog. <a href="http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2015/09/new-book-on-kapparot-345.html" target="_blank">(Read the full review here.)</a> Although admitting that, quote: "the actual halakhic and theological information on kapparot and the information on animal handling and welfare issues Gershom included in <i>Kapporos Then and Now</i> is quite good," he ridicules me for telling midrashic and Hasidic stories, which he writes off as "fairy tales" and calls me "childish" for citing them.<br />
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Rosenberg would much rather have me drag in things like cases of pedophelia and other criminal behaviors that have nothing to do with the topic at hand. (Then again, his whole website is about muckraking the Orthodox world, so I suppose he had to find something about me to nitpick.) Such omissions were not, as Rosenberg accuses me, due to "cognitive dissonance" or "making excuses" for Hasidism. I am perfectly aware that the Orthodox world, like all communities everywhere, has its share of bad apples. I failed to discuss pedophiles and other such criminals because this was not the topic of the book. That's called good writing. You don't throw in everything but the kitchen sink.</div>
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Normally I don't bother to reply to such reviews, but he so completely misread me that I feel a reply is in order. I am not, as Rosenberg states, living in a<i> Fiddler on the Roof</i> fantasy (his words.) I am perfectly aware of the difference between history and folklore, as anyone who has read my other works would know. However, I am also aware that Hasidim live in a basically non-historical universe, where these stories carry a lot of weight. As I said at the beginning of the book, I was going to look at both sides of the issue <i>from within the viewpoints of each side. </i>For the Hasidic side, that includes storytelling. </div>
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Whether or not the stories are literally true is beside the point. Even outright parables carry weight when discussing religion. When Rebbe Nachman of Breslov was asked if the stories he told were true, he replied, "Not all of the stories are true, but when the people tell them, they are holy." Religious teaching stories are not documentaries, but they do contain truths.<br />
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Hasidic stories and other midrashim are the examples held up as ideals by Hasidic rabbis and others. My purpose in citing them was to compare the tales we tell about the sages of old with the realities of the meat industry today. No, things were not perfect in "the good old days," but neither were there any factory farms back then, either. So I was asking the basic question, "How would the early sages and Rebbes react to today's conditions?"</div>
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I said at the very beginning of the book that I was going to approach it as a combination theologian and anthropologist. And, as any anthropologist knows, storytelling is central to any culture. Whether written or oral, stories are how the values of a culture are passed down. The Torah itself is basically one long story of the Jewish people -- a story that we minutely dissect and discuss over and over in a perpetual yearly cycle. Stories are the heart of a culture, as is the way we tell them. As someone once said, "Change the story and you change the world."</div>
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Rosenberg states that the rural Jewish world I describe never existed, and that, in his words, "most '<i>shtetls'</i> were really commercial towns, some of significant size and importance, where Jews were overwhelmingly urbanized. Some families clearly kept their own chickens, but by the end of the first half of the 19th Century, many others did not." </div>
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I have no argument with that. I never said <i>everyone</i> had chickens in their backyard. But even in the urban centers, chickens came from nearby farms, for the simple reason that there was no refrigeration back then. It's pretty hard to transport live chickens hundreds of miles by horse and wagon. Most people were, by necessity, basically locavores. I am old enough to remember ice boxes, home deliveries by the milkman, and our first family refrigerator -- and that was right here in the good ol' USA during the 20th century. So even in the big city (I'm talking about Philadelphia in the 1950s) it has not been that long since food got industrialized.</div>
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There were indeed many small villages in Eastern Europe as well as larger "commercial towns." I have actually been to rural Ukraine where Rebbe Nachman of Breslov lived, and the area around it is still mostly farmland. People there <i>still do </i>have chickens in their backyards, as well as goats, sheep, and other animals.<i> </i>In addition, I have personally talked with Holocaust survivors who described exactly what I say in the book. Plus there are plenty of published firsthand accounts -- many of which I have on my own bookshelves -- about pre-Holocaust Jewish life in small villages. So it is not out of line for me to make references to such.</div>
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The Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidim, lived in the first half of the 18th century, and spent his early years wandering in the Carpathian mountains, not the big cities like Warsaw and Brody. In fact, the urban rabbis were at first opposed to Hasidism, with the Vilna Gaon actually excommunicating the Baal Shem Tov and his followers. Only in later generations did Hasidism spread to the bigger cities. </div>
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And therein lies a possible reason that Rosenberg, as an ex-Chabadnik, might not be familiar with the more rural, nature-oriented themes of the early stories. It has been my experience that the Chabadniks of today pretty much stick with studying sources by their own line of Rebbes. And, as I said in the book, the founder of Chabad, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liady, was not very much interested in animals or nature -- an attitude that has carried down through the Chabad line. <br />
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In fact (as I also say in the book), more than once I have been told by Chabad rabbis that the Baal Shem Tov wasn't<i> really </i>"that guy out in the woods." They prefer to portray him as a scholar. Which he may well have been, but he was <i>also</i> in tune with animals and nature. I would argue that much of our sensitivity toward God's creation was lost when Hasidism went from rural to urban in later generations. Much was also lost within Chabad when Schenur Zalman intellectualized an ecstatic revivalist movement into the intellectualism of <i>Tanya, </i>the "bible" of Chabad.</div>
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Which brings us to <i>another</i> area where Rosenberg misread me. He seems to think I'm calling for everyone to move to the country and live off the grid. That is <i>not </i>my intent. Yes, I do live in the country myself and yes, I do have my own chickens and other animals. This has given me firsthand experience that most urban Jews lack. That experience has enriched my narratives and made them more authentic. But I am not expecting everyone to live as I do.</div>
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What I am calling for is an emotional and spiritual re-connection with animals as living, breathing, sentient beings and not Cartesian machines. It is perfectly possible to do this in the city, and many people do. But you have to make the effort. When you have people who never leave the confines of the few blocks they call home -- not even to go to a museum or a park -- then there is a serious disconnect from the natural world. And that, I do believe, is at the heart of many animal welfare problems in the Orthodox Jewish community. Especially Chabad, where their last Rebbe forbade children from looking at pictures or playing with toys in the shape of non-kosher species of animals. <a href="http://asimplejew.blogspot.com/2009/02/question-answer-with-rabbi-yehoishophot.html" target="_blank">(Read more on that...)</a></div>
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Rosenberg states, regarding the abominable conditions of the kosher meat industry: "The problem is not lack of technology, added cost, or some gross inconvenience to humans. The problem is a near-complete lack of rabbinic will to do better."</div>
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Rosenberg is living in his own fantasy world if he thinks that all it would take to "fix" the kosher meat industry would be for rabbis to have more "rabbinic will" to do better. As I explained in the book, animals used for kosher meat come from the same commercial sources as non-kosher. Whch means factory farms. And it is not very likely that Jews are going to begin raising their own animals on humane farms. Even in Israel, where some Jews do raise animals, the factory farm system has become the norm.<br />
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He is also wrong to think that it would not cost any more to produce humane kosher meat. Technology is indeed the problem, and it does add cost to raising animals more humanely. The Chipotle restaurant chain recently found that out. They pledged not to use pork from pigs raised in tiny crates -- and soon discovered that pig farmers in the USA were not willing to make the more costly changes necessary to raise them humanely. Chipotle is currently importing their pork from England. (See <a href="http://chipotle.com/carnitas" target="_blank">http://chipotle.com/carnitas</a>) As for chickens, in my local grocery store the free-range, humane-raised eggs cost <i>twice as much</i> as eggs from "battery hen" cages. So much for cost not being a factor.</div>
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Rosenberg also felt I was unfairly biased toward Karen Davis and her anti-kapporos campaign, and not critical enough of Rabbi Hecht, who promotes the ritual. So I did a search of the whole book by names. Yes, I did mention Davis more often, for the simple reason that she is pretty much a one-woman show. The vast majority of protest articles are by or about her, and she has made it very clear that she is in charge. Her opinions have pretty much defined the movement. So naturally most of the quotes I refuted were coming from her.</div>
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Rabbi Hecht, on the other hand, is part of a vast organization called Chabad, which in turn is part of Orthodox Judaism, which in turn runs the kosher meat industry. So there were far more sources I could cite besides Hecht -- and I did. If you add those references, the criticisms are about equal on both sides. There are whole sections where I describe in detail the horrors seen at kapporos centers, the way chickens are raised and transported there, etc. And while it is true, as Rosenberg complains, that I did not specifically name the Agriprocessors plant and the scandals there, I was very critical of the whole industry in general, as well as taking Hecht specifically to task for some of his statements.<br />
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What comes through in Rosenberg's review is his own personal bias against Chabad. He is himself an ex-Chabadnik, and there is no greater critic of any philosophy than a disillusioned former disciple. If you read his online <a href="http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/about-me.html" target="_blank">About Me page</a>, it is clear that he had a bad experience which caused a crisis of faith that he never really recovered from, (To be fair, his criticism of the Rebbe is well-deserved in his case.) So it is understandable that, having been completely turned off by Chabad Hasidism, he would resent any attempt to show it in a positive light. </div>
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True, there were places where I defended Hecht's point of view and theology, even though he is a villian in the controversy. But I also defended Davis and the animal rights people in several places, too. Ironically, I have received emails from Orthodox Jews who thought I was<i> too easy</i> on Davis because I defended her against accusations of antisemitism. I suppose this is bound to happen with any book that tries to look at both sides of a problem. One often ends up writing a book that pleases neither side. But at least the book has gotten some discussions going, and that was really my goal. People may not be willing to completely cross the bridge to the other side, but some, at least, are meeting in the middle.</div>
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Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-56974631892908356312015-11-04T12:25:00.003-06:002015-11-10T19:27:19.892-06:00In memory of Sapphire, a wonderful companion cat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3FjU42FZjCepZlvI76NjPMmXnrFa86NI45zuA24lJcYe48Orv4grVjqwciX7v635KUPupro0j-7EnWB-KWtevVCUVU9vhqutiGDMY6QhcLb2Wna9Ekg5bnP7OHY3QW2HapNk27Te5Kk/s1600/Sapphire1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3FjU42FZjCepZlvI76NjPMmXnrFa86NI45zuA24lJcYe48Orv4grVjqwciX7v635KUPupro0j-7EnWB-KWtevVCUVU9vhqutiGDMY6QhcLb2Wna9Ekg5bnP7OHY3QW2HapNk27Te5Kk/s320/Sapphire1.jpg" width="320" /></a>My cat, Sapphire, named for his beautiful blue eyes, passed away peacefully in my arms early Saturday morning. He was, we estimate, about 16 years old. We don't know exactly, because he was a stray who showed up in our yard in January 2000. He was an adult and not kittenish when we found him, so we assumed he was about 2 years old then.<br />
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It was actually my sheepdog, Grett (now deceased) who found him. When I went out to do chores one morning, Grett kept trying to lead me to the old garage we use as a shed. He would look back at me, take a few steps, then look back again. I followed the dog and there was Sapphire, sitting up on a shelf. He was lost and afraid, also cold, hungry, and thirsty. I began putting food and water out for him, and soon he came down to greet me each day. He began letting me pet him, but it was a long time before I could hold him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Brotherly Love Cats"<br />
A favorite photo I took of Sapphire (left) <br />
and his friend Patches (right)</td></tr>
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Eventually he did get to where he would come up to the house, then later inside. From then on, he was a loving cuddle kitty who liked to sleep on the bed. He was also a "nurse cat" in that he sensed when another cat or a human was sick. He especially liked to lick and groom the other cats, and was often the first to welcome new cats when the arrived on our little hobby farm. (We have taken in a lot of strays over the years.). <br />
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You may have heard of dogs that can smell tumors and such? Well, Sapphire kept insisting on putting his head on my wife Caryl's abdomen where she has a hernia. After surgery to correct this, Sapphire did not do that anymore. We believe he knew something was wrong. <br />
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About two years ago he had what we think was a stroke. We though we were going to lose him then, but he rallied and recovered. From then on he was a bit uncoordinated and sometimes confused, so we kept him inside the house unless one of us was outside to watch him.<br />
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About a month ago he began to slowly go downhill, eating less, sleeping more, and I knew the end was near. He slipped n and out of a coma until finally, around 3am on the Sabbath (Saturday), he crossed over. (It is strange how many of my pets have died on the Sabbath. Far more than would be mere coincidence. Perhaps it is because the sabbath is a taste of Eden?)<br />
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On Sunday morning, as is our custom, we buried him on our land, marking the grave with stones. Frost had already killed most of the flowers in the yard, but I found enough to decorate the grave. He will be sorely missed, and remembered as a wonderful friend.<br />
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You can make a donation to the ASPCA in Sapphire's memory at:<br />
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<a href="https://www.aspca.org/team/Sapphire-memorial-campaign" target="_blank">https://www.aspca.org/team/Sapphire-memorial-campaign</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sapphire's grave, November 1, 2015</td></tr>
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<br />Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-83560697667093055332015-10-01T11:39:00.004-05:002015-10-01T11:46:09.493-05:00The Sukkot Super-moon eclipse of 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first night of Sukkot (Feast of Booths) always falls on the full moon of the Hebrew month of Tishri. This year it was not only a full moon, it was a super-moon, because the moon's orbit brought it closer to Earth than usual. But even more special, it was also a total eclipse where I live. All of which made this a Sukkot night to remember.<br />
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My wife Caryl and I began eating in the Sukkah around 7:30, when the eclipse was just beginning. We could see the moon through the natural branches on the Sukkah roof, but after the meal we decided to move our chairs outside for a better view. The sky was not perfectly clear. There were clouds moving across the sky, which sometimes obscured the moon. Each time it appeared through a hole in the clouds, it looked a bit different as the eclipse progressed. This added to the mystique, I think.<br />
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The night itself was perfect. Not too cold, yet cool enough to be comfortable. One interesting thing we noticed was that during totality, there were no mosquitoes. Do they become less active in total darkness? Normally the bugs are most active at dawn and dusk in the twilight. As the eclipse came out of totality, there were again a few mosquitoes buzzing around us. An interesting phenomenon.<br />
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Sitting there together under the eclipse light was a romantic experience for Caryl and me, and we began talking about how long it had been since we had simply sat together in quiet sharing. Watching the eclipse became a calm, gentle meditation for both of us. <br />
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We stayed outside the whole 3.5+ hours it lasted here in Sandstone, MN. We could not take any photos because that is forbidden on a Jewish holy day, but the beautiful images of the experience are forever saved in our hearts.Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-50509193283541309172015-09-04T13:02:00.000-05:002015-09-16T10:56:25.313-05:00Kim Davis and Religious freedom: A Jewish PerspectiveKim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky who is refusing to issue marriage licenses because she does not believe in same-sex marriages, sees herself as a martyr to her faith. As a religious Jew watching this story unfold, I have another perspective. Namely, that Christians like her are very new at being a minority, and have not figured out how to balance public and private life. For centuries in the Western World, Christianity was the dominant culture. Now that is no longer so, and this is creating a crisis that we Jews already dealt with centuries ago. <br />
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In my own life I have also had this struggle, especially around Christmas time, when there is extreme pressure to conform. I can remember a time when suburban Jews had "Hanukkah bushes" just to avoid being harassed by Christian neighbors. Ditto for putting up "holiday lights." If you were the only family on the block that did not, you heard about it. It was simply assumed that everyone was Christian.</div>
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Now the shoe is on the other foot. Puritan Christians are no longer in control. And suddenly people like Kim Davis are finding out what it is like to be asked to do something you do not believe in. Only with a difference. Because Judaism has a principal called, in Hebrew, <i>dina malchut dina,</i> "The law of the land is the law." Jews do not insist the whole world live according to our beliefs. When it comes to secular issues, we obey the laws of the country we live in. In the case of Kim Davis, as a public official, Judaism would say that she is required to issue those licenses.</div>
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I have tried to think of a similar issue for me as rabbi and came up with this: Jewish law forbids intermarriage between a Jew and a non-Jew. Many synagogues will not accept such families as members. That is their right as religious institutions. But what would I do if such a couple showed up at the courthouse asking me to issue a license, and I knew for a fact it would be a "forbidden" intermarriage? I would issue the license. I would not perform the ceremony. I might not go to the wedding. But in terms of the secular law, I would be required to fulfill my duty. This would not be a breach of my own faith, since I would be doing it as a public official, not as a rabbi.</div>
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Christians need to learn how to make this distinction between public and private. They need to accept the fact that are not the majority anymore, and they no longer run the whole show. Kim Davis could best demonstrate her faith by resigning her post and seeking another job.</div>
Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-68670446402777100292015-08-28T15:41:00.001-05:002015-08-28T15:42:14.098-05:00I defeated the bullies: RabbiGershom.com is mine again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I wrote <a href="http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2014/01/oy-vey-im-being-cyber-bullied-by-idiots.html" target="_blank">in a previous article,</a> I have been getting cyber-bullied around the Net for various stances I have taken on controversial issues. One of these attacks consisted of some jerks putting up a bogus website under "rabbigershom.com," which was the URL of an old website I had that went defunct. My alerts told me this week that this URL was now available, so I bought it. Apparently my posting of a Ripoff Report, writing the blog post, and posting a notice on every one of my profiles that this was NOT me worked -- the bullies gave it up.<br />
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For now the URL is simply parked, I'm not sure what, if anything, i will do with it in the future. But at least searches for my site will no longer take people to some phony escort service I was never, ever connected with. Thank you to everyone who wrote protest letters and otherwise supported me in this!<br />
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<br />Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-51396145029994998182015-07-03T15:34:00.003-05:002015-10-01T10:36:07.255-05:00In Memory of "Big Bird," my pet rooster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am sad to report that Big Bird, the ten-pound yellowish-white rooster who appeared with me on posters and the cover of my latest book, has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He was the victim of a predator attack, probably coyotes, that also took the lives of two other chickens and a guinea fowl. They will all be very much missed.<br />
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Big Bird was going on 11 years old -- a very long life for a chicken -- and was spending a lot of time in a cage anyway, because he could no longer fly up to the roost at night. But he still loved going outside with the other birds on nice days. So I let him take the risk and enjoy a more natural life as a free-range chicken. At dusk he would come back to the coop, where I would put him in his cage for the night. Last night he did not return, and stayed outside somewhere, along with a few chickens and two guineas who had taken to roosting outside instead of inside the building. I looked for him but could not find him in the dark. This morning I found the carnage, including the destroyed nest of a barred hen named Rockette who had been secretly incubating in the bushes. I knew she was broody by her behavior when she came it to eat, but had been unable to find her well-hidden nest. Last night the coyotes obviously did.<br />
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It is always very sad when this happens. Nature is not Disneyland, and in the real world animals do attack and eat each other. That's the reality of that "circle of life" that everyone is romanticizing lately. Life is not a cartoon, and finding piles of feathers and other remains in the yard is not pretty. I feel terrible when I lose a bird to predators, but at the same time, I still feel they would rather run free than be caged all the time. <br />
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I suppose it's a lot like letting your children run free instead of "helicoptering" them everywhere. Yes there are dangers and risks, but there are also the joys of freedom and exploration. I feel sorry for many of today's kids who don't have the "free range" experience I had back in the 1950s, when I rode my bike all over town and played for hours alone in the woods. That experience shaped my love of nature and helped make me the writer that I am today. Nowadays, parents are being <i>arrested</i> in some cities for letting their kids walk a couple blocks alone to the park.<br />
(See <a href="http://freerangekids.com/" target="_blank">freerangekids.com</a> for actual cases of these ridiculous ordinances.)<br />
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Big Bird was the poster child with me in the 2013 campaign against using chickens as Kapporos, by the Alliance to End Chickens as Kapporos. (See poster above)<br />
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A different pose from the same photo shoot (My wife Caryl was the photographer that day) now immortalizes Big Bird on the cover of my latest book, <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/yonassan-gershom/kapporos-then-and-now-toward-a-more-compassionate-tradition/paperback/product-22200409.html" target="_blank">Kapporos Then and Now: Toward a More Compassionate Tradition,</a> In this book, I present the issue from both sides (practitioners and protesters), explaining why the vegan" meat is murder" argument does not work, and presenting other, more effective reasons for using money instead of chickens.<br />
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The best memorial you could give to Big Bird is to buy a copy and educate yourself about the Kapporos controversy, then pass a copy on to your local Orthodox or Hasidic rabbi. In this way, Big Bird will continue to help his fellow chickens live to lead longer, happier lives.Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653992368546779574.post-13920090997793039322015-06-04T18:31:00.000-05:002019-09-25T17:53:10.516-05:00New Book: "Kapporos Then and Now: Toward a More Compassionate Tradition" by Yonassan Gershom<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4B9R9SpK8hc8Bh0kZrC-Dc_fFOOLmUuczCNRvjUnX5awERW5JcbFB89ZnDqUpKBIC5MeMGoHvKCuVyK9AXHMb7uII5R-wduhSwyxC4JgRRM6qnXlYUs-ep7skag6E_fQhtQvz3TtSaPc/s1600/Kapporos+cover+mock-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4B9R9SpK8hc8Bh0kZrC-Dc_fFOOLmUuczCNRvjUnX5awERW5JcbFB89ZnDqUpKBIC5MeMGoHvKCuVyK9AXHMb7uII5R-wduhSwyxC4JgRRM6qnXlYUs-ep7skag6E_fQhtQvz3TtSaPc/s320/Kapporos+cover+mock-up.jpg" width="224" /></a>Every year, right before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, there is a cultural war in certain Jewish neighborhoods over a ceremony called Kapporos, in which a chicken is slaughtered just before the holy day. The animal rights people show up claiming, “Meat is murder!” while the Orthodox and Hasidic Jews who practice this ceremony accuse the activists of antisemitism and violating their freedom of religion. Epithets fly and confrontations occur across the barricades, but nobody is really listening to each other.<br />
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In this book, I seek to build a bridge of understanding between these two warring camps. On the one hand, I oppose using live chickens as Kapporos, as I have written on this blog before. <a href="http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2011/10/kapparot-ritual-how-tradition-has.html" target="_blank">(Read More...)</a> Like many other religious Jews before me, I advocate giving money to charity instead. But on the other hand, I am a Hasid who understands and believes in the kabbalistic principles behind the ceremony and Hasidic life in general. In fact, it is that very mysticism that has led me <i>not</i> to use chickens for the ritual. And I believe it is essential for activists to understand and respect this mystical worldview if they want to be effective. <br />
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On the surface, my task in writing this book would seem easy: Explain to animal rights people the reasons why some Orthodox Jews use chickens in a religious ceremony, and explain to Orthodox Jews why animal rights people find this offensive and cruel in modern times. But there is much more to it than that. Beyond this specific ritual lies a vast chasm between two very, very different worldviews.
On both sides of the issue I have found sincere, caring people who, in all good faith, believe in what they are doing. But at the same time, each side is appallingly ignorant of the other. Could I possibly write a book to bridge the gap?<br />
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To do this successfully, the book could be neither a vegetarian manifesto nor a "Torah-true" religious tract. My methodology was to approach the subject as a combination of theologian, cultural anthropologist, and participatory journalist, examining the issue from the perspectives of both sides. As Richard H. Schwartz, author of <i>Judaism and Vegetarianism,</i> wrote in his Foreword to my book:<br />
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<i>“Rabbi Gershom has a very clear, conversational style of writing, scholarly yet very readable, and he explains complex issues very well. He is careful to put issues in context. He is not a polemicist, but seeks common ground and solutions. He uses examples from his own personal experience and also cites authorities.”
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Chapter 1 opens with my involvement with the Alliance to End Chickens as Kapporos (Karen Davis' org), my reasons for leaving the Alliance over theological issues <a href="http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2014/11/karen-davis-anti-kapporos-activist.html" target="_blank">(read more on that...)</a> but not the movement itself -- and how this ultimately led me to write this book.<br />
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In the rest of the book I trace the history of <i>Kapporos</i> and the impact of the modern meat industry on the ceremony, comparing it to my own experience raising and observing chickens in natural, free-range flocks on my hobby farm in Minnesota. I explain how the very un-Jewish ideas of Descartes have affected Jews and gentiles alike. And because I believe it is essential for activists to understand the mystical worldview of Hasidism, I devote an entire chapter to "raising Holy sparks," the question of whether animals have souls and/or consciousness, and how this relates to <i>Kapporos.</i><br />
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In short, I explore the issue from many different perspectives and present what I believe to be a number of convincing arguments for why, in modern times, this ritual can best be accomplished by using money instead of chickens. This will not be an easy book for either side to read, but I believe it fills an important educational gap on both sides.<br />
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You can <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/yonassan-gershom/kapporos-then-and-now-toward-a-more-compassionate-tradition/paperback/product-22216944.html" target="_blank">order your copy now </a> on Lulu.com. Also available on Amazon but if you order thru Lulu you get a discount and I get a better deal as an author. Lulu also offers quantity discounts.Yonassan Gershomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918610823274529036noreply@blogger.com11