Thursday, September 20, 2007
Logically Jewish
I have a friend who recently de-converted. And I know once a Jew always a Jew, not to mention his DNA is an excellent match to the tribe of Levi, but let me explain...
This guy, we'll call him J, was originally a Christian, a very charasmatic, pentecostal one. He went from that to Messianic Jew and from Messianic to Orthodox. And he was a very serious Orthodox Jew.
J lost his faith in Judaism when he noticed the favoritism rabbis often showed to Jews who were blood over converted Jews. He still believed in G-d, just no longer the teachings of rabbis noting their flaws. This spiraled him into an atheistic phase and then an agnostic one followed by a return to Christianity.
His return to Christianity, as he explained it to me, came in that it was something available to everyone, he did not feel Judaism was because of the prejudice he had seen. He followed, however, with something that made me think.
J said he was going to raise his kids Jewish. He felt Christianity, while having a teaching available to everyone, was still a poor system, because in the Christian church you take things on faith as your pastor says, but in the synogogue, people disagree and are encouraged to ask questions as well as questions are asked for the sole purpose of provoking thought. This tradtion, he says, was at the core of Christianity originally, evidenced when Christ was in the temple and the Bible says the high priests were impressed by all the questions he asked. He says this is because Christ was answering the priest's questions with questions like rabbis often do to provoke thought.
This made me think. It made me think about Christians, and it made me think about Jews. I often run into alot of racist Jews, prejudiced Jews or Jews who dislike other Jews because they aren't "Jewish enough". I've long thought this hypocrisy, because after our immense, well known history of oppression, you'd think the first thing we would have learned was that that shit is wrong. Then it made me think about Christians and the emphasis on faith, how so many Christians believe whatever they're taught unquestioningly and the direction our world is taking with this.
I have undoubtably seen time and again demonstrated the human ability to be absolutely wrong and to persist in that wrongness. I have likewise seen the human ability to hate and persecute those who are right. The greatest example in our history are those we now call prophets that were previously tormented by us for speaking the words of G-d.
These things only confirm in my mind the need to be logical, rational and honest, to disagree freely and provoke thought (which is our tradition). So why, as Jews, are we not thinking about certain things, like say prejudice? Are we, as a race, going to finally learn from our mistakes, or is G-d, in his desire to perfect us as people, going to have to put us again in slavery until we figure it out?
This guy, we'll call him J, was originally a Christian, a very charasmatic, pentecostal one. He went from that to Messianic Jew and from Messianic to Orthodox. And he was a very serious Orthodox Jew.
J lost his faith in Judaism when he noticed the favoritism rabbis often showed to Jews who were blood over converted Jews. He still believed in G-d, just no longer the teachings of rabbis noting their flaws. This spiraled him into an atheistic phase and then an agnostic one followed by a return to Christianity.
His return to Christianity, as he explained it to me, came in that it was something available to everyone, he did not feel Judaism was because of the prejudice he had seen. He followed, however, with something that made me think.
J said he was going to raise his kids Jewish. He felt Christianity, while having a teaching available to everyone, was still a poor system, because in the Christian church you take things on faith as your pastor says, but in the synogogue, people disagree and are encouraged to ask questions as well as questions are asked for the sole purpose of provoking thought. This tradtion, he says, was at the core of Christianity originally, evidenced when Christ was in the temple and the Bible says the high priests were impressed by all the questions he asked. He says this is because Christ was answering the priest's questions with questions like rabbis often do to provoke thought.
This made me think. It made me think about Christians, and it made me think about Jews. I often run into alot of racist Jews, prejudiced Jews or Jews who dislike other Jews because they aren't "Jewish enough". I've long thought this hypocrisy, because after our immense, well known history of oppression, you'd think the first thing we would have learned was that that shit is wrong. Then it made me think about Christians and the emphasis on faith, how so many Christians believe whatever they're taught unquestioningly and the direction our world is taking with this.
I have undoubtably seen time and again demonstrated the human ability to be absolutely wrong and to persist in that wrongness. I have likewise seen the human ability to hate and persecute those who are right. The greatest example in our history are those we now call prophets that were previously tormented by us for speaking the words of G-d.
These things only confirm in my mind the need to be logical, rational and honest, to disagree freely and provoke thought (which is our tradition). So why, as Jews, are we not thinking about certain things, like say prejudice? Are we, as a race, going to finally learn from our mistakes, or is G-d, in his desire to perfect us as people, going to have to put us again in slavery until we figure it out?
Thursday, September 13, 2007
happy 5768!!!
also shoshanna is gonna have my babies
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Sunday, September 09, 2007
repost from Failed Messiah
Please Say Tehillim …
… or say a prayer or do something good to help someone in the merit of Ruhama Aliza Sara Chana bat Esther Liba, a little four-year-old Miami girl who fell into her family's pool, drowned and was resuscitated by paramedics. She's been in a vegetative state since then, on life support. Doctors say she is brain dead and want to disconnect her. The family is opposed to that. The family is looking for a facility to put her in but there appear to problems in arranging this.
… or say a prayer or do something good to help someone in the merit of Ruhama Aliza Sara Chana bat Esther Liba, a little four-year-old Miami girl who fell into her family's pool, drowned and was resuscitated by paramedics. She's been in a vegetative state since then, on life support. Doctors say she is brain dead and want to disconnect her. The family is opposed to that. The family is looking for a facility to put her in but there appear to problems in arranging this.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
The understanding of forgiveness
I recall reading many times in the TORAH how Adonai would forgive us for the things we do to each other and the things we do for ourselves and call it G-d. What sticks out to me most is when Adonai says that he forgives us not for our own sake, but his.
I often think about this.
I think, if you try to forgive for others or because you feel you should, you will inevitably fail. You can't possibly be motivated to. If someone does something to you that needs forgiving s/he has already motivated you to do the contrary, because s/he doesn't deserve to be forgiven. Saying "I'm sorry" never undoes the damage, it only expressed the regret that the damage has been done. Likewise, you can't forgive out of duty. This sort of thing is useless, because a dutiful act is not a passionate one, and its motivation is lacking. You have to desire to forgive someone first, dutiful things are things we do begrudingly or emotionless because we think they are required of us. The whole attitude of duty is sacrificing emotion, and you have to feel to forgive, otherwise it's not forgiveness and just numbess, because you haven't really let go of the insult from the seat of your emotions.
But if you love the person you are forgiving you will forgive them just so they can be close to you again.
I read a book a while ago on what bitterness resentment and all the reprocussions of not forgiving cause. It was written by a medical doctor. It's interesting how all those unpurged feelings build up disease. It makes even more sence reading the research of the now famous physicist Candace Perth.
It is hard wired into our bodies the need to forgive, but being able to forgive requiring love first, it would seem even more so it is hard wired into our bodies the need to love. Just a thought.
I often think about this.
I think, if you try to forgive for others or because you feel you should, you will inevitably fail. You can't possibly be motivated to. If someone does something to you that needs forgiving s/he has already motivated you to do the contrary, because s/he doesn't deserve to be forgiven. Saying "I'm sorry" never undoes the damage, it only expressed the regret that the damage has been done. Likewise, you can't forgive out of duty. This sort of thing is useless, because a dutiful act is not a passionate one, and its motivation is lacking. You have to desire to forgive someone first, dutiful things are things we do begrudingly or emotionless because we think they are required of us. The whole attitude of duty is sacrificing emotion, and you have to feel to forgive, otherwise it's not forgiveness and just numbess, because you haven't really let go of the insult from the seat of your emotions.
But if you love the person you are forgiving you will forgive them just so they can be close to you again.
I read a book a while ago on what bitterness resentment and all the reprocussions of not forgiving cause. It was written by a medical doctor. It's interesting how all those unpurged feelings build up disease. It makes even more sence reading the research of the now famous physicist Candace Perth.
It is hard wired into our bodies the need to forgive, but being able to forgive requiring love first, it would seem even more so it is hard wired into our bodies the need to love. Just a thought.
Monday, September 03, 2007
also this
SEX CAULDRON? I thought they shut that place down.
so i guess will be me posting CHIP THA RIPPERRRRRRR's new mixtape, MONEY.
its really pretty hot and i haven't seen it posted anywhere else.
i gotta give props to his beat selection which relies heavily on timbaland's whole "FUTURERAP" tip.
while chip really isn't rapping about anything of any real importance (unless "slabbing" is a major concern of yours), his swag is whats on show here. he sounds more TI than ti. except not as talented. and a tad uglier. and mebbe slightly autistic.
his punchlines are first class.
the man raps about money and whores very well and very eloquently.
what it is: Chip Tha Ripper's MONEY mixtape
what it's better than: skyzoo CORNER STORE CLASSIC mixtape and that shit was mad hot
standout tracks: its all good. get it.
score: 9/10
CHIP THE RIPPER - MONEY
here's a bonus chip track that i'm sure you fools haven't heard.
CHIP THE RIPPER - CHAIN
its really pretty hot and i haven't seen it posted anywhere else.
i gotta give props to his beat selection which relies heavily on timbaland's whole "FUTURERAP" tip.
while chip really isn't rapping about anything of any real importance (unless "slabbing" is a major concern of yours), his swag is whats on show here. he sounds more TI than ti. except not as talented. and a tad uglier. and mebbe slightly autistic.
his punchlines are first class.
the man raps about money and whores very well and very eloquently.
what it is: Chip Tha Ripper's MONEY mixtape
what it's better than: skyzoo CORNER STORE CLASSIC mixtape and that shit was mad hot
standout tracks: its all good. get it.
score: 9/10
CHIP THE RIPPER - MONEY
here's a bonus chip track that i'm sure you fools haven't heard.
CHIP THE RIPPER - CHAIN
lol labor day
nice spelling, shoshanna.
when i stop getting high and watching entourage, i'll put up my reviews for kanye's graduation and 50's curtis.
no homo
when i stop getting high and watching entourage, i'll put up my reviews for kanye's graduation and 50's curtis.
no homo
belts need to be made more like belts
I hate 80's fashion. I was tortured with that shit growing up, and I don't need it anymore. 5 years ago everyone made fun of how awful the 80's looked, but now it's some kind of new nostalgia craze for college clubbers and stupid teens born in the 90's who knew nothing of our suffering.
And girls, tight jeans only make you look like a triangle if you have anything that remotely resembles hips, and you want those hips babe, they look nice, just not in anything less than boot cut. If you're really stuck on the "I want to show off my calves/ankles" just throw on a pair of thigh highs and a skirt. That will accentuate the niceness of your ass instead of making it look akwardly place on top of your legs.
Zubaz always looked like tacky pajamas.
And elastic belts look ghetto, and not in a good way either, in a trashy, I dug this out of the dumpster and it's only half broken sort of way.
Speaking of belts, all belts officially suck. Why? because they are now made like crap. "Genuine Leather" cannot be paper mache' with two pieces of leather glued to either side of it, that is "genuine recycled paper'" end of story.
Polka dots are to the eyes what polka music is to the ears.
Little kid prints are for little kids.
Neon colors are for letting patrons know what beer is on tap.
And anything that billows out around your waist looks like maternity.
Even perfect boobs look saggy in a tube top. I seriously don't get this shit, all the angles are wrong, all the lines are bad, 80's fashion can acutally make pretty girls look ugly.
Oh & fucking quit whisker washing/pre distressing things. If I wanted old clothes I would be shopping at the thrift stores. I thought maybe that shit would be done with this 80's bullshit, but oh no, we have to keep the worst of everything.
Just because someone who is signed to a major record label wears it, does not make it ok or them "creative". Attention everyone: common sence has left the building.
And girls, tight jeans only make you look like a triangle if you have anything that remotely resembles hips, and you want those hips babe, they look nice, just not in anything less than boot cut. If you're really stuck on the "I want to show off my calves/ankles" just throw on a pair of thigh highs and a skirt. That will accentuate the niceness of your ass instead of making it look akwardly place on top of your legs.
Zubaz always looked like tacky pajamas.
And elastic belts look ghetto, and not in a good way either, in a trashy, I dug this out of the dumpster and it's only half broken sort of way.
Speaking of belts, all belts officially suck. Why? because they are now made like crap. "Genuine Leather" cannot be paper mache' with two pieces of leather glued to either side of it, that is "genuine recycled paper'" end of story.
Polka dots are to the eyes what polka music is to the ears.
Little kid prints are for little kids.
Neon colors are for letting patrons know what beer is on tap.
And anything that billows out around your waist looks like maternity.
Even perfect boobs look saggy in a tube top. I seriously don't get this shit, all the angles are wrong, all the lines are bad, 80's fashion can acutally make pretty girls look ugly.
Oh & fucking quit whisker washing/pre distressing things. If I wanted old clothes I would be shopping at the thrift stores. I thought maybe that shit would be done with this 80's bullshit, but oh no, we have to keep the worst of everything.
Just because someone who is signed to a major record label wears it, does not make it ok or them "creative". Attention everyone: common sence has left the building.
