It has been over a year since I posted anything on this blog and more to the point, I think it's about time I restart this fledgling enterprise. Although I may have been away for a bit, it seems that the leadership of my people has been trapped into a corner of their own making and have no way to get out.
For the past few years I have warned you here about the randomness of Torah leadership's edicts and the non halachic arbitrariness of assembly line Judaism...if it sounds frummer (more religious) it must be frummer (more religious). The warnings I barked have been ignored in my own local community and in turn, where my friends live in Beit Shemesh where men routinely yell and scream vulgarities at young girls, woman and men who don't adhere to their arbitrary standards of living.
NEVER MISTAKE TORAH AND JUDAISM WITH THE PEOPLE WHO PRACTICE IT!!!!!!!!
Where is the leadership of Torah Jewry? When will they stand up and take a PUBLIC stand against what is so obviously anti-Torah. To be sure, Torah is not to be thrown about with each person's own personal opinions as to what It says or was meant to say. We have over 3500 years of scholarship on this issue and JUST AS THE RELIGIOUS ARE OFFENDED WHEN THE NON-RELIGIOUS MAKE UP THEIR OWN INTERPRETATIONS OF TORAH, SO TOO DO THOSE RELIGIOUS OFFEND OTHERS WITH THEIR OWN RANDOM INTERPRETATIONS OF TORAH.
What are we to make of Torah leadership in America and Israel and their silence on any issue of actual importance for the Jewish people? Sure, we get decrees about the evil of concerts from RELIGIOUS JEWISH artists who have separate seating events...that's when we hear from them. We get toothless statements from Rabbis about child abuse in the community, then they censor any public discourse and attempt to control what questions are to be asked in such forums. Silliness like that is commonplace amongst our Rabbis and Roshei Ha'yeshiva's (Heads of Yeshivas). But now our chickens have come home to roost and the arbitrary NON TORAH based standards that have been set in our communities have smashed straight up against the TORAH BASED COMMANDMENTS of relationships between man and man (of course woman too) and man and G-d.
The coming of the Messiah, may it be speedily in our days, is dependent on the Jewish people and their behavior. Who do you think will be held responsible for his tardiness, those who know and yearn for him (or should yearn for him) or those that don't? Does anyone in the Yeshiva world--WHICH HAS MADE AN ARTFORM OF COPYING THE CHASSIDIM WITHOUT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE RANDOMNESS OF THE ACTIONS THEY MIMICK AND IMPOSE OF THEIR SHEEPISH FOLLOWERS--believe that these behaviors which are tearing the Jewish people apart, are going to bring the Messiah? Do any of them think these actions will bring anyone closer to Judaism? Torah? G-d? Are we so stiff-necked as to not see the internal damage we are causing our people which may very well effect generations?
Who will be the one leader of our people who will publicly take a stand against the abusive behavior of those for portend to be the guardians of Torah living? Rabbi Wein made an attempt, but as usual the Yeshivish world blew him off as a nobody and mocked him, assigning to him, which they frequently do with Rabbi SR Hirsch of Blessed Memory, ideas and thoughts that he really feels which are different than what he/they wrote in public....totally ignoring the courage it took to write what they wrote. Just once I would like to see the same Rabbis who sign these ridiculous condemnations, sign one that unequivocally takes a stand against this nonsense. Just once it would be helpful if they stood up and said this behavior is not in accordance with Torah Law and anyone who practices it, is not to be considered a G-d fearing Jew.
But, alas, months after the fact, those who were given the responsibility to lead our people, have done anything but. They won't make public statements for fear of reprisals or quite possibly and I would guess more likely, they actually concur with the ideas being espoused by these holier than thou lunatics, and are trapped between their "religion of no" (no tv, no internet, no music, no sports, no text messaging, no cell phones, no, no no no no).... and their Torah learning which they spent years perfecting, that taught them right from wrong.
I shutter to think about the goings on in Heaven and how we must be seen as dreadfully derelict in our mission. I fear, once again, for my people and I do so based on the lack of any courage coming from the self proclaimed Torah leaders. In the grand scheme of things, I am a no one and I pale in comparison to the knowledge of these men, but I ask you, what good is the knowledge they posses when the nose in front of your face is bleeding and they don't have the courage to get a tissue?
May the Creator of All Things find it in His boundless Mercy, to withhold judgement on our people for our lack of courage and forthrightness which we have failed to display and May it be in His infinite Kindness that he ignore our gutless behavior and the behavior of our self proclaimed spineless leadership and bring the Messiah Speedily in our days.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A Lesson for all Mankind
A lesson for all mankind....."Mi K'Amcha Yisrael?" "Who is like Your people Israel?"
A life lesson from Howard Schultz CEO and Founder of Starbucks
"When I was in Israel, I went to Mea Shearim, the ultra-Orthodox area within Jerusalem. Along with a group of businessmen I was with, I had the opportunity to have an audience with Rabbi Finkel, the head of a yeshiva there. I had never heard of him and didn't know anything about him. We went into his study and waited ten to 15 minutes for him. Finally, the doors opened.
What we did not know was that Rabbi Finkel was severely afflicted with Parkinson's disease. He sat down at the head of the table, and, naturally, our inclination was to look away. We didn't want to embarrass him.
We were all looking away, and we heard this big bang on the table: "Gentlemen, look at me, and look at me right now." Now his speech affliction was worse than his physical shaking. It was really hard to listen to him and watch him. He said, "I have only a few minutes for you because I know you're all busy American businessmen." You know, just a little dig there.
Then he asked, "Who can tell me what the lesson of the Holocaust is?" He called on one guy, who didn't know what to do-it was like being called on in the fifth grade without the answer. And the guy says something benign like, "We will never, ever forget?" And the rabbi completely dismisses him. I felt terrible for the guy until I realized the rabbi was getting ready to call on someone else. All of us were sort of under the table, looking away-you know, please, not me. He did not call me. I was sweating. He called on another guy, who had such a fantastic answer: "We will never, ever again be a victim or bystander."
The rabbi said, "You guys just don't get it. Okay, gentlemen, let me tell you the essence of the human spirit.
"As you know, during the Holocaust, the people were transported in the worst possible, inhumane way by railcar. They thought they were going to a work camp. We all know they were going to a death camp.
"After hours and hours in this inhumane corral with no light, no bathroom, cold, they arrived at the camps. The doors were swung wide open, and they were blinded by the light. Men were separated from women, mothers from daughters, fathers from sons. They went off to the bunkers to sleep.
"As they went into the area to sleep, only one person was given a blanket for every six. The person who received the blanket, when he went to bed, had to decide, 'Am I going to push the blanket to the five other people who did not get one, or am I going to pull it toward myself to stay warm?'"
And Rabbi Finkel says, "It was during this defining moment that we learned the power of the human spirit, because we pushed the blanket to five others."
And with that, he stood up and said, "Take your blanket. Take it back to America and push it to five other people."
I read this story from Howard Schultz and was amazed not so much at his retelling of it, but at the strength of character of the Jews who pushed the blanket over. Would I? Would you?
A life lesson from Howard Schultz CEO and Founder of Starbucks
"When I was in Israel, I went to Mea Shearim, the ultra-Orthodox area within Jerusalem. Along with a group of businessmen I was with, I had the opportunity to have an audience with Rabbi Finkel, the head of a yeshiva there. I had never heard of him and didn't know anything about him. We went into his study and waited ten to 15 minutes for him. Finally, the doors opened.
What we did not know was that Rabbi Finkel was severely afflicted with Parkinson's disease. He sat down at the head of the table, and, naturally, our inclination was to look away. We didn't want to embarrass him.
We were all looking away, and we heard this big bang on the table: "Gentlemen, look at me, and look at me right now." Now his speech affliction was worse than his physical shaking. It was really hard to listen to him and watch him. He said, "I have only a few minutes for you because I know you're all busy American businessmen." You know, just a little dig there.
Then he asked, "Who can tell me what the lesson of the Holocaust is?" He called on one guy, who didn't know what to do-it was like being called on in the fifth grade without the answer. And the guy says something benign like, "We will never, ever forget?" And the rabbi completely dismisses him. I felt terrible for the guy until I realized the rabbi was getting ready to call on someone else. All of us were sort of under the table, looking away-you know, please, not me. He did not call me. I was sweating. He called on another guy, who had such a fantastic answer: "We will never, ever again be a victim or bystander."
The rabbi said, "You guys just don't get it. Okay, gentlemen, let me tell you the essence of the human spirit.
"As you know, during the Holocaust, the people were transported in the worst possible, inhumane way by railcar. They thought they were going to a work camp. We all know they were going to a death camp.
"After hours and hours in this inhumane corral with no light, no bathroom, cold, they arrived at the camps. The doors were swung wide open, and they were blinded by the light. Men were separated from women, mothers from daughters, fathers from sons. They went off to the bunkers to sleep.
"As they went into the area to sleep, only one person was given a blanket for every six. The person who received the blanket, when he went to bed, had to decide, 'Am I going to push the blanket to the five other people who did not get one, or am I going to pull it toward myself to stay warm?'"
And Rabbi Finkel says, "It was during this defining moment that we learned the power of the human spirit, because we pushed the blanket to five others."
And with that, he stood up and said, "Take your blanket. Take it back to America and push it to five other people."
I read this story from Howard Schultz and was amazed not so much at his retelling of it, but at the strength of character of the Jews who pushed the blanket over. Would I? Would you?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The New Idea Sure Sounds Old?
I wonder what it must be like to be someone who thinks he has all the answers. How does his car run? What is his marriage like? Does he sleep soundly? Do birds acknowledge him? Do the trees bow to his superior intellect?
Suddenly, everywhere I look, the pseudo intellectuals write their whiny diatribes on every blog in every corner of Jewish cyberspace. They call those who they look down upon names, mock their lifestyle, brow beat them with nonsense, until those who are subjected to their incessant, sophomoric, pompousness turn away in disgust and wonder what sort of miserable person lives this way?
If it wasn't so sad it would be funny.
There is a new form of religious intellectualism which goes by the name of Orthoprax Jews. A term they lovingly give themselves. If I understand the theory behind it correctly, they are the Jews who go through the motions of a religious lifestyle with no real belief system to back it up. They don't believe in the Validity of Torah, they don't believe in Revelation at sinai and the exodus from Egypt and they don't believe in a Creator. They hang onto their religious facade because they are too deep into it. They have a wife who believes in G-d much to their dismay and children who do the same. They abhor the teffilin they wear, the shabbat candles they light and the prayers they say. Most of all, they disgust in the illusionary G-d they pray to.
Do they think they are the first Jews to behave this way or just the smartest?
Yet through all of this, I feel for them. I feel the pain in their helplessness, the sorrow in their anguish and the emptiness in their lives. I wish they had what I have. They would call me child-like, naive', uneducated and even lost. I may be all of that. Or I might have what they have never had.
When they think about my Creator, they think of his nonexistence. When I think about Him, I think of his Omnipotence. When they think of my Sustainer, they think he is wicked and evil, when I think of Him, I am overwhelmed by His Goodness. When they think of my Rock, they think of nothing, when I think of Him I think He is everything.
With every peek from around the struggle of the Orthoprax corner, there, laying in wait for him, is the atheist waiting to pounce of his fragility. They regale him with anti semitic german theories about the fabrication of Torah and ask him to join their brilliant assault on the uneducated masses. They attack all that he used to believe in and dress their theories up with higher learning, luring them in with the faux intellectualism that spits on the graves of their forefathers. The new enlightened ones smell fresh blood and ascend on them with a vengeance.
What they can't ever answer in their quest to destroy G-d is how the Jews--the uneducated, archaic 7th century shtettle clinging Jews are still here. How did they survive the most powerful armies known to mankind. How did they survive the treachery of the Romans, the assimilation of the greeks, the savagery of the Cossacks and the ruthlessness of the germans? How did that happen? Interestingly enough, the majority of the perpetrators of such evil, were themselves convinced of their own intellectual superiority and enlightenment. The godless knew better what to do with the G-d fearing. Yet each time, the Jew, him of the backwards old fashioned Torah is true clinging belief, survived while he bore witness to the death of them all.
"I shall bless those that bless you and curse those that curse you."
In the coming days I will address this struggle. To my fellow Jews who grapple with their servitude, do not give up hope. There is an answer to your confusion. I know.
I have been there.
And I have survived.
Suddenly, everywhere I look, the pseudo intellectuals write their whiny diatribes on every blog in every corner of Jewish cyberspace. They call those who they look down upon names, mock their lifestyle, brow beat them with nonsense, until those who are subjected to their incessant, sophomoric, pompousness turn away in disgust and wonder what sort of miserable person lives this way?
If it wasn't so sad it would be funny.
There is a new form of religious intellectualism which goes by the name of Orthoprax Jews. A term they lovingly give themselves. If I understand the theory behind it correctly, they are the Jews who go through the motions of a religious lifestyle with no real belief system to back it up. They don't believe in the Validity of Torah, they don't believe in Revelation at sinai and the exodus from Egypt and they don't believe in a Creator. They hang onto their religious facade because they are too deep into it. They have a wife who believes in G-d much to their dismay and children who do the same. They abhor the teffilin they wear, the shabbat candles they light and the prayers they say. Most of all, they disgust in the illusionary G-d they pray to.
Do they think they are the first Jews to behave this way or just the smartest?
Yet through all of this, I feel for them. I feel the pain in their helplessness, the sorrow in their anguish and the emptiness in their lives. I wish they had what I have. They would call me child-like, naive', uneducated and even lost. I may be all of that. Or I might have what they have never had.
When they think about my Creator, they think of his nonexistence. When I think about Him, I think of his Omnipotence. When they think of my Sustainer, they think he is wicked and evil, when I think of Him, I am overwhelmed by His Goodness. When they think of my Rock, they think of nothing, when I think of Him I think He is everything.
With every peek from around the struggle of the Orthoprax corner, there, laying in wait for him, is the atheist waiting to pounce of his fragility. They regale him with anti semitic german theories about the fabrication of Torah and ask him to join their brilliant assault on the uneducated masses. They attack all that he used to believe in and dress their theories up with higher learning, luring them in with the faux intellectualism that spits on the graves of their forefathers. The new enlightened ones smell fresh blood and ascend on them with a vengeance.
What they can't ever answer in their quest to destroy G-d is how the Jews--the uneducated, archaic 7th century shtettle clinging Jews are still here. How did they survive the most powerful armies known to mankind. How did they survive the treachery of the Romans, the assimilation of the greeks, the savagery of the Cossacks and the ruthlessness of the germans? How did that happen? Interestingly enough, the majority of the perpetrators of such evil, were themselves convinced of their own intellectual superiority and enlightenment. The godless knew better what to do with the G-d fearing. Yet each time, the Jew, him of the backwards old fashioned Torah is true clinging belief, survived while he bore witness to the death of them all.
"I shall bless those that bless you and curse those that curse you."
In the coming days I will address this struggle. To my fellow Jews who grapple with their servitude, do not give up hope. There is an answer to your confusion. I know.
I have been there.
And I have survived.
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Miniscule Man
I spent the pre-dawn hours of my day today, catching up on events from this weekend and after I had finished, I regretted that I didn't start my day a little differently. Now that I have had a few hours to think about it, however, I'm thinking that there is a lesson in the depressing events I had witnessed.
I had finished watching the NBA Hall of Fame induction ceremony when I realized that I had just seen one of the saddest things I had ever watched in sports. To be sure, I was not a big fan of David Robinson or John Stockton when they played in the NBA, but after this morning, I have a new found respect for both men. Conversely, I enjoyed watching Michael Jordan play basketball even when he was a shadow of himself with the Washington Wizards. I learned this morning that I had gotten it all wrong.
I watched with great admiration as David Robinson spoke humbly about his past, glowingly about his present, and excitedly about his future. He thanked everyone from his first coach to his last one, his teammates and all those who had helped him get to where he was. He spoke to each of his children separately and hoped that they would be proud of their name because of this accomplishment, but urged and encouraged them to forge their own path. He spoke lovingly about his wife who he called his rock and someone who made him feel like he wanted to be a better man each day. He spoke of how great the Spurs had been to him and acknowledged all those who came before him in San Antonio. Lastly, he spoke about walking with G-d and how He had overseen all the events of his life and now he, in essence, bowed humbly before Him, thanking Him for everything in his life.
Following that, I watched John Stockton talk of his humble beginnings and of how he was never the best player on any of the teams that he had played on. He felt lucky just to be where he was standing. He thanked all of the people who helped him get to where he was, spoke about each of his six children individually and how his wife was there for him and allowed him to do what he did each day. He spoke of the Jazz organization with appreciation for taking a chance on him and how well he had been treated through the years. Mostly, he seemed like he was a guy who felt out of place at the Hall of Fame and was just happy to be there.
Evidently, the HOF felt that they were saving the best for last. In what was quite assuredly the most arrogant, selfish, conniving, vengeful and self centered speech I had ever witnessed, Michael Jordan took the podium for close to 15 minutes and proceeded to do to his reputation, what defenders and opponents could never do to his game-destroy it.
In his immature and at times incoherent mumble fest, Jordan left no former enemy unscathed. Of Jerry Karuse, the old Bulls GM he said "He's not here tonight-I don't know who invited him, I didn't". He said Buzz Peterson could not have been player of the year in high school because he had never played against him. He used the pronouns I, me or my over 230 times and gave everyone a slight window into the head of what most in the ESPN cult like to call the greatest athlete who ever lived.
How sad.
Jordan used the platform to proclaim only his greatness in a way that you would expect a nine year old to do. When talking about Scottie Pipen he mused "...every Championship I won, Scottie was there." And here I thought basketball was a team sport. In a room full of high achievers, Jordan acted as if he was the only one in the building who was competitive-as he kept reminding us-or that he was the only one in sports who ever worked hard. He called Jeff Van Gundy Pat Riley's "little guy" I suppose forgetting that Van Gundy had himself worked extremely hard to get where he was and you can be sure that while Mike Jordan was gambling away millions of dollars in Atlantic city, Jeff Van Gundy was up at night trying to find a way to guard him.
But this poor excuse for a man left the best of his self-centeredness for his children. "You guys have a heavy burden-I wouldn't want to be you if I had to".
What a loser.
After I listened to him say other gems like "Someone like me who accomplished a lot" or "I hope it's given the millions of people that I've touched...." I thought for a few moments about what some of his apologists are saying. For instance, "this was why we loved him so much because he was so competitive" or "Jordan knows of no other way because he is just so great and competitive" as if Bill Russell, whose championships rings dwarf Jordan's, or Yogi Berra, who has four more rings than "his airness", were any less competitive. We didn't have to make excuses for those athletes because at their inductions, they weren't the kind of small man Jordan was. Jordan showed that he is in fact exactly what his detractors always said he was-a packaged, fake, fifth avenue marketing machine in a suit. The truth is Jordan is a petty, arrogant, immature, conceited and childish man who was incredibly gifted at what he did. Nothing else.
In the end, he showed us all that he's just a basketball player. That is all.
I thought about the two players, Robinson and Stockton, who spoke before him. They weren't from big market Chicago. They didn't play for Dean Smith. They didn't have anyone packaging them to make them something they were not. The Networks didn't love them. They were just two competitive men who loved playing basketball and were very good at it. They didn't promote themselves nor, does it seem, did they keep score by cashing checks. They were just two under appreciated athletes who had their priorities in order. There were no Carla Knafle's in their closets, no paternity suits and left no gambling debts in their wake. They were just two men, I wish now, I would have gotten a chance to appreciate more often.
As for Jordan, I think his work on Friday night speaks for itself. He let the world know that his grudges last forever and his pettiness could not be stifled on what should have been the pinnacle personal moment of his career. He is a shallow, empty man who the world perceives as having everything, but at his very essence, he has nothing. No character, no integrity, no humility and most assuredly, no class.
For years I had heard how awful it was that a Jewish basketball player had to be burdened with the moniker "the Jewish Jordan". It was a mistake to do that to Tamir, but the public ran with it no matter how much he and everyone around him tried to stop it. They said he could never be Michael Jordan--lucky for Tamir. Tamir Goodman is far too much of a man to ever be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan. The world thinks calling him the Jewish Jordan was an insult to Michael Jordan. In all honesty, it's was an insult to Tamir Goodman.
I hope all my children and my friends children, get a chance to see this particular Jordan performance above all his others, so they know he is nothing to aspire to. As for me, I would not trade one moment on the clock of my life, for any second of his if it meant that I had to be Michael Jordan for any length of my short time on this earth. How sad his life has turned out to be. He is an immature child, who I dare say, is trapped in the body of a miniscule man.
I had finished watching the NBA Hall of Fame induction ceremony when I realized that I had just seen one of the saddest things I had ever watched in sports. To be sure, I was not a big fan of David Robinson or John Stockton when they played in the NBA, but after this morning, I have a new found respect for both men. Conversely, I enjoyed watching Michael Jordan play basketball even when he was a shadow of himself with the Washington Wizards. I learned this morning that I had gotten it all wrong.
I watched with great admiration as David Robinson spoke humbly about his past, glowingly about his present, and excitedly about his future. He thanked everyone from his first coach to his last one, his teammates and all those who had helped him get to where he was. He spoke to each of his children separately and hoped that they would be proud of their name because of this accomplishment, but urged and encouraged them to forge their own path. He spoke lovingly about his wife who he called his rock and someone who made him feel like he wanted to be a better man each day. He spoke of how great the Spurs had been to him and acknowledged all those who came before him in San Antonio. Lastly, he spoke about walking with G-d and how He had overseen all the events of his life and now he, in essence, bowed humbly before Him, thanking Him for everything in his life.
Following that, I watched John Stockton talk of his humble beginnings and of how he was never the best player on any of the teams that he had played on. He felt lucky just to be where he was standing. He thanked all of the people who helped him get to where he was, spoke about each of his six children individually and how his wife was there for him and allowed him to do what he did each day. He spoke of the Jazz organization with appreciation for taking a chance on him and how well he had been treated through the years. Mostly, he seemed like he was a guy who felt out of place at the Hall of Fame and was just happy to be there.
Evidently, the HOF felt that they were saving the best for last. In what was quite assuredly the most arrogant, selfish, conniving, vengeful and self centered speech I had ever witnessed, Michael Jordan took the podium for close to 15 minutes and proceeded to do to his reputation, what defenders and opponents could never do to his game-destroy it.
In his immature and at times incoherent mumble fest, Jordan left no former enemy unscathed. Of Jerry Karuse, the old Bulls GM he said "He's not here tonight-I don't know who invited him, I didn't". He said Buzz Peterson could not have been player of the year in high school because he had never played against him. He used the pronouns I, me or my over 230 times and gave everyone a slight window into the head of what most in the ESPN cult like to call the greatest athlete who ever lived.
How sad.
Jordan used the platform to proclaim only his greatness in a way that you would expect a nine year old to do. When talking about Scottie Pipen he mused "...every Championship I won, Scottie was there." And here I thought basketball was a team sport. In a room full of high achievers, Jordan acted as if he was the only one in the building who was competitive-as he kept reminding us-or that he was the only one in sports who ever worked hard. He called Jeff Van Gundy Pat Riley's "little guy" I suppose forgetting that Van Gundy had himself worked extremely hard to get where he was and you can be sure that while Mike Jordan was gambling away millions of dollars in Atlantic city, Jeff Van Gundy was up at night trying to find a way to guard him.
But this poor excuse for a man left the best of his self-centeredness for his children. "You guys have a heavy burden-I wouldn't want to be you if I had to".
What a loser.
After I listened to him say other gems like "Someone like me who accomplished a lot" or "I hope it's given the millions of people that I've touched...." I thought for a few moments about what some of his apologists are saying. For instance, "this was why we loved him so much because he was so competitive" or "Jordan knows of no other way because he is just so great and competitive" as if Bill Russell, whose championships rings dwarf Jordan's, or Yogi Berra, who has four more rings than "his airness", were any less competitive. We didn't have to make excuses for those athletes because at their inductions, they weren't the kind of small man Jordan was. Jordan showed that he is in fact exactly what his detractors always said he was-a packaged, fake, fifth avenue marketing machine in a suit. The truth is Jordan is a petty, arrogant, immature, conceited and childish man who was incredibly gifted at what he did. Nothing else.
In the end, he showed us all that he's just a basketball player. That is all.
I thought about the two players, Robinson and Stockton, who spoke before him. They weren't from big market Chicago. They didn't play for Dean Smith. They didn't have anyone packaging them to make them something they were not. The Networks didn't love them. They were just two competitive men who loved playing basketball and were very good at it. They didn't promote themselves nor, does it seem, did they keep score by cashing checks. They were just two under appreciated athletes who had their priorities in order. There were no Carla Knafle's in their closets, no paternity suits and left no gambling debts in their wake. They were just two men, I wish now, I would have gotten a chance to appreciate more often.
As for Jordan, I think his work on Friday night speaks for itself. He let the world know that his grudges last forever and his pettiness could not be stifled on what should have been the pinnacle personal moment of his career. He is a shallow, empty man who the world perceives as having everything, but at his very essence, he has nothing. No character, no integrity, no humility and most assuredly, no class.
For years I had heard how awful it was that a Jewish basketball player had to be burdened with the moniker "the Jewish Jordan". It was a mistake to do that to Tamir, but the public ran with it no matter how much he and everyone around him tried to stop it. They said he could never be Michael Jordan--lucky for Tamir. Tamir Goodman is far too much of a man to ever be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan. The world thinks calling him the Jewish Jordan was an insult to Michael Jordan. In all honesty, it's was an insult to Tamir Goodman.
I hope all my children and my friends children, get a chance to see this particular Jordan performance above all his others, so they know he is nothing to aspire to. As for me, I would not trade one moment on the clock of my life, for any second of his if it meant that I had to be Michael Jordan for any length of my short time on this earth. How sad his life has turned out to be. He is an immature child, who I dare say, is trapped in the body of a miniscule man.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
What about the Jews and Mark Twain
As Tisha B'av draws near, maybe Mark Twain, in this essay from 1898, can remind us what we, as Jews, tend to forget as the world spins around us. We mourn for not only the loss of the Temple, but for the loss of all it should have stood for-community, togetherness, a place where being a Jew is to be dedicated to ones people and their Creator, a place of love and understanding, of higher learning and rampant spirituality....a place that Hashem can call home.
But we forgot what we were supposed to stand for, the promise we were to bring humanity and the light we should have been. Now, we suffer in embarrassment for the ethos we have turned on its head and called it righteousness. We paint our own disinterest in our uniqueness with the broad brush of man made morality and cling to a phony promise of joining the masses for they will soon take us in and treat us like their own and all will be forgotten. History has taught us that no matter how bright the star, how golden the land and how engrossing the potential, it is the Jew who has never been let into the club. Twain reminds us of all of that.
We have been viceroys, advisors, generals, chiefs of staffs, doctors of Kings, the wealthiest and most influential at each and every stop-every single place we have ever been-yet the world never fails to let us know that we are still not theirs. Do not be fooled that this time is different. At this moment in history, the world is screaming the message that no matter the song, the tune remains the same--the Jews are still Jews-whether they call us settlers, Zionists, right wing fanatics, neo cons, Pro Israel, liberals, progressives or even just Jews, they are reminding us that the doors while ajar, will never be fully open no matter how hard we try to kick them in. They remind us of all we have lost as a people, who, even as we see history repeating itself time and again, trust the loving and forgiving nature that our hearts posses, instead of the mass of evidence we see before our eyes. The world is once again reminding us what we have lost and seemingly what we have forgotten.
So I will rely on Mark Twain to remind us of what we have always been and let each one of us answer the question he poses at the end.... I can only come up with one answer...what is yours?
CONCERNING THE JEWS ...by Mark Twain Harpers Magazine 1898
"If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"
But we forgot what we were supposed to stand for, the promise we were to bring humanity and the light we should have been. Now, we suffer in embarrassment for the ethos we have turned on its head and called it righteousness. We paint our own disinterest in our uniqueness with the broad brush of man made morality and cling to a phony promise of joining the masses for they will soon take us in and treat us like their own and all will be forgotten. History has taught us that no matter how bright the star, how golden the land and how engrossing the potential, it is the Jew who has never been let into the club. Twain reminds us of all of that.
We have been viceroys, advisors, generals, chiefs of staffs, doctors of Kings, the wealthiest and most influential at each and every stop-every single place we have ever been-yet the world never fails to let us know that we are still not theirs. Do not be fooled that this time is different. At this moment in history, the world is screaming the message that no matter the song, the tune remains the same--the Jews are still Jews-whether they call us settlers, Zionists, right wing fanatics, neo cons, Pro Israel, liberals, progressives or even just Jews, they are reminding us that the doors while ajar, will never be fully open no matter how hard we try to kick them in. They remind us of all we have lost as a people, who, even as we see history repeating itself time and again, trust the loving and forgiving nature that our hearts posses, instead of the mass of evidence we see before our eyes. The world is once again reminding us what we have lost and seemingly what we have forgotten.
So I will rely on Mark Twain to remind us of what we have always been and let each one of us answer the question he poses at the end.... I can only come up with one answer...what is yours?
CONCERNING THE JEWS ...by Mark Twain Harpers Magazine 1898
"If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A Primer for the Media and the Hypocritical Left and a Debt of Gratitude
Well, the day has finally come upon us.
How great is the Creator of All Things that he has uplifted the downtrodden and exalted the oppressed. I am, once again, overjoyed for my african american friends and hope this is a day they will always be proud of.
For me, I am not a drinker of the Obama kool-aid. I do not ascribe to the theory that America is a bad place. I do not believe we are the source of evil around the world. I do not believe that capitalism is a bad thing or that the framers of the constitution erred by not making government the end all and be all. I believe the framers wanted to free us from the oppression of the tyranny of an overbearing government. I believe this nation is a source of what is good about the world and lends a voice to justice and charity. I also believe that at a time of war you support your president as he makes life and death decisions for millions of people.
How sad that led by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi as well as their accomplices in congress and the media, this country has forgotten that principle. They have disgraced their respective offices and have earned the reputation as the leaders of the most unpopular congress of all time.
So in the spirit of cooperation that Americans used to be known for B.C. (before Clinton), I will offer this primer so that the left knows how to act and what to say now that one of their own is in office. This will be new so it might take some practice. But if Chis Matthew, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, Joy Behar, Dan Rather, Matt Lauer and Charlie Gibson can do it, so can you...work with me....
"We must support our president in a time of war"
"America is a source for good"
"The most important thing during these dangerous times is the safety of the American Citizenry"
"There are evil people trying to destroy us"
"Israel deserves the right to defend itself from thousands of attacks without any moral equivocation"
"The office of the presidency needs to be a place of honor and respect."
"You can be the loyal opposition without being mean spirited and cruel"
"Please do not attack the president's daughters. That is so wrong and beyond the pale"
That should take care of lesson one. I don't want to overload you all in the first day.
As for me, unlike the hypocritical left, I will support my president during this time of war. I hope he succeeds in bringing this country back to health, but I pray he does not do it by changing what has made this country great. It is the ingenuity and creativity of the American people that has made us the beacon on the hill. It is the recognition of the greatness of the human spirit and the value of freedom. It is the promise of a new day where everyone has a chance because they are free.
Therefore, I regret immeasurably that I am writing this, I hope my president's agenda fails.
I don't think spending us into oblivion is a smart thing to do just like I didn't think it was smart when George Bush did it. I don't think socializing medicine, the auto industry and the banking system is a smart thing to do. I don't think raising taxes in a time of financial turmoil is a smart thing to do. I don't think raising the capital gains tax during a recession "because it's fair" is a smart thing to do. I don't think listening to Samantha Power is a smart thing to do. I don't think equivocating Israel and Hamas or Hezbollah is a smart thing to do. I don't think letting the United Nations dictate our foreign policy is a smart thing to do. So I hope his policies-not him-his agenda fails.
I hope he fails in his health care initiative as it is currently being bantered about. If he is willing to allow the rest of America to have the same health insurance coverage that congress has or that he has, I am with him, provided he cuts some spending to pay for it. However, if he wants the rest of us to have one type of insurance and congress to have another, I hope he fails severely. I do not believe congress should get to vote themselves a pay raise and then vote on what is best for the rest of us so long as it does not apply to them. So if the presidents plan is to install a system that rations health care, count me out and I pray for his policies to fail while I am at the same time praying for his success.
I hope he sees that it's one thing to talk in platitudes and hallmark quotes and it's another to govern. I hope he understands that the world is far more dangerous than he was led to believe by moveon.org, George Soros, NPR or the halls of academia. I hope when he wakes up on January 21st he realizes that there is far more to this job than painting a house or calling the Steelers or the Cardinals after the Super Bowl.
I hope he understands that his number one job more than anything else is to protect the citizens of this great country.
On that note, I just wanted to send out my sincerest thanks to George Bush for keeping my family and all my friends (on the left-where I have many and on the right) safe these last seven and a half years. The decisions he was forced to make on his watch, were a little more complicated than Keith Olberman's "what tie should I wear" or Ted Kennedy's "Do you think I should leave her at the bottom of the river?" I am not a huge fan of George Bush's, but I have the utmost respect for him. I am proud he restored honor to an office that was blemished by sex under the desk and governing by poll numbers. More importantly, he understood the threats that are around us and took the fight to them instead of kicking the can down the road like we did in 1993 at the WTC or when terrorists blew up a ship of ours in '99-2000.
I thank the president for serving our country and thumbing his nose at the despots in Cuba, Venezuala, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Russia etc....I thank him for having the integrity and fortitude to not chase popularity and to stand up for freedom and what he believed was right. It has been my experience that if the arabs, dictators and a historically cowardly Europe don't agree with you, you must have done something right. I am forever grateful that you put America first.
I hope my new president will follow his lead.
How great is the Creator of All Things that he has uplifted the downtrodden and exalted the oppressed. I am, once again, overjoyed for my african american friends and hope this is a day they will always be proud of.
For me, I am not a drinker of the Obama kool-aid. I do not ascribe to the theory that America is a bad place. I do not believe we are the source of evil around the world. I do not believe that capitalism is a bad thing or that the framers of the constitution erred by not making government the end all and be all. I believe the framers wanted to free us from the oppression of the tyranny of an overbearing government. I believe this nation is a source of what is good about the world and lends a voice to justice and charity. I also believe that at a time of war you support your president as he makes life and death decisions for millions of people.
How sad that led by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi as well as their accomplices in congress and the media, this country has forgotten that principle. They have disgraced their respective offices and have earned the reputation as the leaders of the most unpopular congress of all time.
So in the spirit of cooperation that Americans used to be known for B.C. (before Clinton), I will offer this primer so that the left knows how to act and what to say now that one of their own is in office. This will be new so it might take some practice. But if Chis Matthew, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, Joy Behar, Dan Rather, Matt Lauer and Charlie Gibson can do it, so can you...work with me....
"We must support our president in a time of war"
"America is a source for good"
"The most important thing during these dangerous times is the safety of the American Citizenry"
"There are evil people trying to destroy us"
"Israel deserves the right to defend itself from thousands of attacks without any moral equivocation"
"The office of the presidency needs to be a place of honor and respect."
"You can be the loyal opposition without being mean spirited and cruel"
"Please do not attack the president's daughters. That is so wrong and beyond the pale"
That should take care of lesson one. I don't want to overload you all in the first day.
As for me, unlike the hypocritical left, I will support my president during this time of war. I hope he succeeds in bringing this country back to health, but I pray he does not do it by changing what has made this country great. It is the ingenuity and creativity of the American people that has made us the beacon on the hill. It is the recognition of the greatness of the human spirit and the value of freedom. It is the promise of a new day where everyone has a chance because they are free.
Therefore, I regret immeasurably that I am writing this, I hope my president's agenda fails.
I don't think spending us into oblivion is a smart thing to do just like I didn't think it was smart when George Bush did it. I don't think socializing medicine, the auto industry and the banking system is a smart thing to do. I don't think raising taxes in a time of financial turmoil is a smart thing to do. I don't think raising the capital gains tax during a recession "because it's fair" is a smart thing to do. I don't think listening to Samantha Power is a smart thing to do. I don't think equivocating Israel and Hamas or Hezbollah is a smart thing to do. I don't think letting the United Nations dictate our foreign policy is a smart thing to do. So I hope his policies-not him-his agenda fails.
I hope he fails in his health care initiative as it is currently being bantered about. If he is willing to allow the rest of America to have the same health insurance coverage that congress has or that he has, I am with him, provided he cuts some spending to pay for it. However, if he wants the rest of us to have one type of insurance and congress to have another, I hope he fails severely. I do not believe congress should get to vote themselves a pay raise and then vote on what is best for the rest of us so long as it does not apply to them. So if the presidents plan is to install a system that rations health care, count me out and I pray for his policies to fail while I am at the same time praying for his success.
I hope he sees that it's one thing to talk in platitudes and hallmark quotes and it's another to govern. I hope he understands that the world is far more dangerous than he was led to believe by moveon.org, George Soros, NPR or the halls of academia. I hope when he wakes up on January 21st he realizes that there is far more to this job than painting a house or calling the Steelers or the Cardinals after the Super Bowl.
I hope he understands that his number one job more than anything else is to protect the citizens of this great country.
On that note, I just wanted to send out my sincerest thanks to George Bush for keeping my family and all my friends (on the left-where I have many and on the right) safe these last seven and a half years. The decisions he was forced to make on his watch, were a little more complicated than Keith Olberman's "what tie should I wear" or Ted Kennedy's "Do you think I should leave her at the bottom of the river?" I am not a huge fan of George Bush's, but I have the utmost respect for him. I am proud he restored honor to an office that was blemished by sex under the desk and governing by poll numbers. More importantly, he understood the threats that are around us and took the fight to them instead of kicking the can down the road like we did in 1993 at the WTC or when terrorists blew up a ship of ours in '99-2000.
I thank the president for serving our country and thumbing his nose at the despots in Cuba, Venezuala, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Russia etc....I thank him for having the integrity and fortitude to not chase popularity and to stand up for freedom and what he believed was right. It has been my experience that if the arabs, dictators and a historically cowardly Europe don't agree with you, you must have done something right. I am forever grateful that you put America first.
I hope my new president will follow his lead.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Day After
I, like everyone else, have no idea what G-d's master plan is for this world or this country. What I do know is he is the Creator of all things. He is the supreme judge and jury. I believe he has a sense of justice that man cannot comprehend nor see even if they think they can.
I heard a great thought from a Rabbi years ago when he was discussing the verse in the Torah "To the righteous you shall do bad and the wicked one you shall do good." He asked what kind of logic is this? How are we supposed to understand what this verse means. It defies our common sense and makes everything else the Torah has said before it, seem contradictory. Can this really be what the Torah means?
The rabbi responded with a simple, but very deep answer. He said we cannot know what Our Maker has in store for us, but know that there is most definitely a master plan which in time everyone will know all about . However, to gain insight into a particular event we must understand this verse as follows. Take a look at a crochet picture from behind. It is a sorry mess of random strings wandering aimlessly with no particular rhyme or order. Then turn it over and look at the beautiful picture it makes when it's all put together. A mess of incredible strings with seemingly no purpose, turned over onto it's front and now it all makes sense.
Events happen in this world that seem to be random instances of day to day events. Understand and know that NOTHING is just random. Each event leads to the next one which leads to another some forty years later, to another some sixty years later, to another some two hundred years later and so on. My personal opinion, and I may be way off here, is that the first slave to land foot on American soil, was done so that all those who have descended from slaves, can know that G-d above heard their cries and now has answered their prayers. Unlike others, I do not believe he doles out justice only to his people although I do believe it all comes back to his people BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT HE HAS SAID and things happen only for that reason. I believe that the first slave trader was put here BECAUSE Barak Obama was supposed to be exalted at this moment in this place. While I am worried for my people in the worst way, I am uplifted by the events of last night because it assures me that while I may not understand His plan, I am comforted by this perceived if not actual Justice for an oppressed and maligned people, that the promises he made to my forefathers are alive, burning and await their fulfillment.
That being said, I am reminded of the movie The Ten Commandments when Nefratiri comes to Moses' house to save him because Pharaoh has ordered the first born of all Jews to be killed which meant that the tenth plague would be the killing of the first born from the mouth of Pharaoh himself. She begs Moses to come with her so she can save him and Moses looks at her and says something to the extent of "You are the vehicle that G-d is working through." My own belief is like everything else, there is a reason a man who is surrounded by haters of the Jews and Israel won the Presidency of the United States last night. It was a grand moment for him, those who cried in pain and anguish for hundreds of years and all others who support him. And rightfully so. But it is very possible that through the execution of his Judgment and Justice he has uplifted an entire race of people, while at the same time passing heavenly judgement on His chosen people, His nation, to be carried out through the exalted Barak Obama.
Today is a day for celebration for any believer of G-d.
Today he has uplifted an oppressed people.
Today he has made the embarrassed, proud, the humiliated, honored.
What it means for the Jews in the short run is much more anguish and pain. More murder and moral equivocation. More appeasement of evil. More cowering in fear by Europe, the UN and now America in order to fulfill the verse "To the wicked you shall do good." More Jewish parents burying their young sons and daughters. More cries to the heavens for the Redeemer seemingly falling on deaf ears. It will be hard to live with. It will lead to many days of sorrow and fear, depression and pain. But do not let that discourage you. For just as He has exalted those that want to do us harm, He is making sure that no stone is left unturned. That when the day the Messiah finally comes to deliver His people to lead the world in Servitude to Him, no one race of people on the entire planet can come to Him with a claim that they did not oppress the Jewish People or cause them to be harmed. The prophet Isaiah in Chapter 53 makes sure that the world knows that their claims of innocence will go unheard. There will be no mercy for those that chose to do harm to the Jewish people and no time left for their repentance.
Therefore, I am celebrating today. I am happy for my African American friends who have long awaited this day and glad to see their happiness and joy. I am also glad for the believers of Hashem. For just as he has fulfilled the words of Isaiah and Deuteronomy, so too will he fulfill the words of the prophets who have told us of our ultimate redemption. The Torah is alive and it is Life for all those who embrace it.
Last night, Hashem showed once again, that there is a time for everything. I am rejoicing today because I know His words are true and His promises are real.
May it be His will that I am alive to witness the redeeming of His people so that they can serve Him with joy and happiness and let ALL the world know that He is One and His Name is One.
May it come speedily in our days. Amen.
I heard a great thought from a Rabbi years ago when he was discussing the verse in the Torah "To the righteous you shall do bad and the wicked one you shall do good." He asked what kind of logic is this? How are we supposed to understand what this verse means. It defies our common sense and makes everything else the Torah has said before it, seem contradictory. Can this really be what the Torah means?
The rabbi responded with a simple, but very deep answer. He said we cannot know what Our Maker has in store for us, but know that there is most definitely a master plan which in time everyone will know all about . However, to gain insight into a particular event we must understand this verse as follows. Take a look at a crochet picture from behind. It is a sorry mess of random strings wandering aimlessly with no particular rhyme or order. Then turn it over and look at the beautiful picture it makes when it's all put together. A mess of incredible strings with seemingly no purpose, turned over onto it's front and now it all makes sense.
Events happen in this world that seem to be random instances of day to day events. Understand and know that NOTHING is just random. Each event leads to the next one which leads to another some forty years later, to another some sixty years later, to another some two hundred years later and so on. My personal opinion, and I may be way off here, is that the first slave to land foot on American soil, was done so that all those who have descended from slaves, can know that G-d above heard their cries and now has answered their prayers. Unlike others, I do not believe he doles out justice only to his people although I do believe it all comes back to his people BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT HE HAS SAID and things happen only for that reason. I believe that the first slave trader was put here BECAUSE Barak Obama was supposed to be exalted at this moment in this place. While I am worried for my people in the worst way, I am uplifted by the events of last night because it assures me that while I may not understand His plan, I am comforted by this perceived if not actual Justice for an oppressed and maligned people, that the promises he made to my forefathers are alive, burning and await their fulfillment.
That being said, I am reminded of the movie The Ten Commandments when Nefratiri comes to Moses' house to save him because Pharaoh has ordered the first born of all Jews to be killed which meant that the tenth plague would be the killing of the first born from the mouth of Pharaoh himself. She begs Moses to come with her so she can save him and Moses looks at her and says something to the extent of "You are the vehicle that G-d is working through." My own belief is like everything else, there is a reason a man who is surrounded by haters of the Jews and Israel won the Presidency of the United States last night. It was a grand moment for him, those who cried in pain and anguish for hundreds of years and all others who support him. And rightfully so. But it is very possible that through the execution of his Judgment and Justice he has uplifted an entire race of people, while at the same time passing heavenly judgement on His chosen people, His nation, to be carried out through the exalted Barak Obama.
Today is a day for celebration for any believer of G-d.
Today he has uplifted an oppressed people.
Today he has made the embarrassed, proud, the humiliated, honored.
What it means for the Jews in the short run is much more anguish and pain. More murder and moral equivocation. More appeasement of evil. More cowering in fear by Europe, the UN and now America in order to fulfill the verse "To the wicked you shall do good." More Jewish parents burying their young sons and daughters. More cries to the heavens for the Redeemer seemingly falling on deaf ears. It will be hard to live with. It will lead to many days of sorrow and fear, depression and pain. But do not let that discourage you. For just as He has exalted those that want to do us harm, He is making sure that no stone is left unturned. That when the day the Messiah finally comes to deliver His people to lead the world in Servitude to Him, no one race of people on the entire planet can come to Him with a claim that they did not oppress the Jewish People or cause them to be harmed. The prophet Isaiah in Chapter 53 makes sure that the world knows that their claims of innocence will go unheard. There will be no mercy for those that chose to do harm to the Jewish people and no time left for their repentance.
Therefore, I am celebrating today. I am happy for my African American friends who have long awaited this day and glad to see their happiness and joy. I am also glad for the believers of Hashem. For just as he has fulfilled the words of Isaiah and Deuteronomy, so too will he fulfill the words of the prophets who have told us of our ultimate redemption. The Torah is alive and it is Life for all those who embrace it.
Last night, Hashem showed once again, that there is a time for everything. I am rejoicing today because I know His words are true and His promises are real.
May it be His will that I am alive to witness the redeeming of His people so that they can serve Him with joy and happiness and let ALL the world know that He is One and His Name is One.
May it come speedily in our days. Amen.
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