Today, I was among over 80 attendees from many countries listening to Rabbi Brovender on webyeshiva.org. He elucidated a couple of kinot (liturgical poems of lamentation) and gave the following insight. When the Prophet Jeremiah in the fifth chapter of Lamentations, asks that God should “Remember what we once had”, what is the Prophet assuming? That God can forget? What does it mean for God to remember, and what does that teach us about Jewish memory?
Archive for July, 2009|Monthly archive page
Post Tisha B’Av Musings
In Uncategorized on July 31, 2009 at 12:35 amWolpe’s Original Text on R. Yochanan and Resh Lakish
In Uncategorized on July 29, 2009 at 9:56 amThe text excerpted can be found in Jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com. Look in the archives for July 23rd.
"For me, Rabbis are just average Joes…"
In Uncategorized on July 27, 2009 at 3:10 pmTablet.com has some insight and background into the Syrian Rabbinic Roundup this past week. They conducted an audio interview with Zev Chafets who wrote about the Syrian Jewish community for the NYT magazine a couple of years ago.
Rabbi David Wolpe Misses the Point on the death of Rabbi Yochanan and Goldberg takes the bait.
In Jeffrey Goldberg, Rabbi Yochanan, Resh Lakish, Wolpe on July 24, 2009 at 1:03 pm
The Talmud tells us that when Resh Lakish — Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish — died, Rabbi Jocanan was inconsolable. No one else challenged Rabbi Jochanan’s conclusions so vigorously or engaged him in such sharp argument. Repeatedly the Jewish tradition emphasizes that disagreement, even fundamental disagreement, need not be the same as personal hostility.
Quote of the Day
In Uncategorized on July 23, 2009 at 11:07 pm“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”
Baruch Atah…OK fine, but what does it mean?????
In Uncategorized on July 22, 2009 at 11:51 pmIt is interesting to note that Medieval classics like the Rokeach, Shiblei HaLeqet, Kolbo and Abudarham are works that are referenced more than they are learned. Only when one wants to explore a topic are these books revealed in greater detail. I was asked to give a class on the Siddur to which I reluctantly agreed. My hesitation came from feeling that this once a week class would require much thought and preparation for a topic I regarded as less than exciting. Boy, was I wrong!
“the customs connected with prayer have become varied from one country to another, and most of the people do not understand the words of the prayers, nor do they know the correct ritual procedures and the reasons for them.”
"This is all my fault."
In Uncategorized on July 21, 2009 at 2:40 pmSo said Robert E. Lee to his troops after his costly defeat at Gettysburg. He then offered his resignation to Jefferson Davis thereby accepting full responsibility for losing what would later be considered the turning point of the Civil War.
Maureen Dowd: Uninformed, or Just a tinge Anti-Semitic
In Uncategorized on July 19, 2009 at 10:13 pmEither Maureen Dowd, or some snarky editor at the NYT, gave her column the title Pharisees on the Potomac. Her point was to recount the hypocrisy of the Republican leadership. If you look up Pharisee in the OED, you will find that the second definition legitimates this usage, but then again, look at the second definition of a Jew “…a grasping extortionate person.” Does that allow the NYT to have an editoral entitled “Medoff Jewed lots of Jews in Florida”? The only difference is how educated the NYT staff might be.
Gettysburg Visitor Center and Battlefield: Unforgettable
In Uncategorized on July 19, 2009 at 10:04 pmIt has been long overdue for me to take my twelve year old son to Gettysburg, PA. It’s about a 90 minute drive for an unforgettable afternoon. The new visitor center and museum offer an orientation that does what it is supposed to do. It makes you want to see the battlefield. The newly restored Cyclorama, a 360 degree mural that weighs thousands of pounds is presented succinctly, but brilliantly.
The Hearings, Sotomayor, Hillel, Shammai and the nature of interpretation…
In Uncategorized on July 14, 2009 at 9:26 pmI’m addicted to these hearings not only because they are so “Talmudic”, but because it reminds me of the intellectual limitations of those who represent us in the Senate. Although she is no Bork when it comes to parrying the same challenge over and over again, Judge Sonia Sotomayor does more than hold her own.