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.
Showing posts with label Torah Jews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Torah Jews. Show all posts
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, June 26, 2007
So What's the Answer?
After some discussion on Friday's blog, some issues were raised as to what to do about the problems we are facing in our communities and it just seems that we a blowing in the wind.
Well, yes and no.
I don't think there is anything lost by addressing this issue in this forum or anywhere else. That is certainly one way to get this issue front and center.
Are we a small group? Yes.
Do we have a long arm? I am inclined at this point to say, no.
Are we fighting an uphill battle? Yes.
Are we whistling in the wind? I don't think so just yet.
Some have posted that we need the Modern Orthodox to fill this void. I strongly disagree and mostly for the same reasons I rail against the Kollel wing-because they are as closed minded-yes closed minded-and arrogant about Torah U'madah as the Kollel is about their way. Don't get me wrong. I am not against the Torah U'madah derech per se' just as I am not against Kollel in all cases. But please don't fool yourself into thinking that the far left-yes not centrist-(I don't even know what that means) is any better than the far right. I will try and address that soon.
Here, however is my attempt at an answer.
I am adamant about not using the term orthodox because the moniker was laid on us by the reformers in Germany and it was not meant to be a compliment. I am in favor of the word Torah Jew. Someone who lives their life based on Torah. Period. Let the other guys keep the labels and do what they want with them. I think they're silly and mean nothing.
Here is what I propose. We should all try and live a genuine life. We don't need a new movement. We just need some common sense and people who are not concerned with their own Kavod and power. We need to get rid of any leaders who are slighted that they were not placed on the dais when someone else who is not as " important" as they are had been placed there. We need to hold our leadership accountable. We need to stop concerning ourselves with who gets what honor. It's so silly and the cause of so much strife and hatred.
We need to follow the example of a nineteen year old girl that I know. She davens every day-because she wants to even though she may not be obligated to. She speaks respectfully to all people no matter their age. She leaves the room when she hears Loshon Horah. She reads the parsha every friday night and learns the haftorah-because she wants to learn about Hashem. She does not judge anyone nor advocate for any one thing or any one way of life. She just wants to be a Jew. She attends Shiurim because she just wants to be a Jew. She helps the terminally ill twice a week because she just wants to be a Jew. She didn't buy into th eIsrael thing or the fancy clothes thing. She just wants to be a Jew.
What is wrong with that? Why can't we start a movement to just be a Jew. A G-d fearing do our service out of love Jew? We don't need to re-invent the wheel. The answer is already out there. We just need to be Jews.
How do we convey that to the masses? Any way possible, but we have to offer something they can sink their teeth into and I think this girl and the way she lives her life is the answer. The MO have an agenda and it is to NOT be charedi. That alone is as dangerous as the charedi agendas. Think about that carefully and understand that I have sent FIVE children to Torah Umadah schools so I know about which I am writing. Anyone who denies this fact is being intellectually dishonest.
Fact is there is a way and it has nothing to do with labels. It has to do with being G-d fearing Jew and living a life as it is defined by Torah. Our words men nothing. Our clothes mean nothing. Our hashkafah means nothing.
Our actions mean everything.
Well, yes and no.
I don't think there is anything lost by addressing this issue in this forum or anywhere else. That is certainly one way to get this issue front and center.
Are we a small group? Yes.
Do we have a long arm? I am inclined at this point to say, no.
Are we fighting an uphill battle? Yes.
Are we whistling in the wind? I don't think so just yet.
Some have posted that we need the Modern Orthodox to fill this void. I strongly disagree and mostly for the same reasons I rail against the Kollel wing-because they are as closed minded-yes closed minded-and arrogant about Torah U'madah as the Kollel is about their way. Don't get me wrong. I am not against the Torah U'madah derech per se' just as I am not against Kollel in all cases. But please don't fool yourself into thinking that the far left-yes not centrist-(I don't even know what that means) is any better than the far right. I will try and address that soon.
Here, however is my attempt at an answer.
I am adamant about not using the term orthodox because the moniker was laid on us by the reformers in Germany and it was not meant to be a compliment. I am in favor of the word Torah Jew. Someone who lives their life based on Torah. Period. Let the other guys keep the labels and do what they want with them. I think they're silly and mean nothing.
Here is what I propose. We should all try and live a genuine life. We don't need a new movement. We just need some common sense and people who are not concerned with their own Kavod and power. We need to get rid of any leaders who are slighted that they were not placed on the dais when someone else who is not as " important" as they are had been placed there. We need to hold our leadership accountable. We need to stop concerning ourselves with who gets what honor. It's so silly and the cause of so much strife and hatred.
We need to follow the example of a nineteen year old girl that I know. She davens every day-because she wants to even though she may not be obligated to. She speaks respectfully to all people no matter their age. She leaves the room when she hears Loshon Horah. She reads the parsha every friday night and learns the haftorah-because she wants to learn about Hashem. She does not judge anyone nor advocate for any one thing or any one way of life. She just wants to be a Jew. She attends Shiurim because she just wants to be a Jew. She helps the terminally ill twice a week because she just wants to be a Jew. She didn't buy into th eIsrael thing or the fancy clothes thing. She just wants to be a Jew.
What is wrong with that? Why can't we start a movement to just be a Jew. A G-d fearing do our service out of love Jew? We don't need to re-invent the wheel. The answer is already out there. We just need to be Jews.
How do we convey that to the masses? Any way possible, but we have to offer something they can sink their teeth into and I think this girl and the way she lives her life is the answer. The MO have an agenda and it is to NOT be charedi. That alone is as dangerous as the charedi agendas. Think about that carefully and understand that I have sent FIVE children to Torah Umadah schools so I know about which I am writing. Anyone who denies this fact is being intellectually dishonest.
Fact is there is a way and it has nothing to do with labels. It has to do with being G-d fearing Jew and living a life as it is defined by Torah. Our words men nothing. Our clothes mean nothing. Our hashkafah means nothing.
Our actions mean everything.
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