Today's chain of inquisitive learnings
Step 1: Read something which refers to Leonard Cohen's song First We Take Manhattan.
Step 2: Want to hear song. YouTube for it.
Step 3: Curiosity piqued by odd YouTube comment, look up Leonard Cohen.
Step 4: See reference to a comment he made about being a Kohen, and how he apparently had a very "messianic childhood".
Step 5: Google Kohen.
Step 6: WIKIPEDIA TRAP
So far: Kohens, the Jewish Rebellions, the First, Second, and Third temples, redemption of the firstborn, and the Western Wall.
I knew little to nothing about all of these. Some of it is thoroughly fascinating - for a start, I had no idea that it still really, truly mattered which of the tribes of Israel a given Israelite descends from. But you don't have to do redemption of the firstborn if you're a Levite, for example. (Or if you're Reform/Reconstructionist.)
All very theoretical knowledge, since, you know, I'm not Jewish, and even if I converted to Judaism, which isn't likely, I'd still be a convert, what with the thing where I have (as far as I know) zero Jewish ancestry and therefore really, truly can not claim descent from any of the tribes, but it's still very interesting.
[Originally posted at Dreamwidth.
comments. Reply there (with OpenID or otherwise) if you wish.]
Step 2: Want to hear song. YouTube for it.
Step 3: Curiosity piqued by odd YouTube comment, look up Leonard Cohen.
Step 4: See reference to a comment he made about being a Kohen, and how he apparently had a very "messianic childhood".
Step 5: Google Kohen.
Step 6: WIKIPEDIA TRAP
So far: Kohens, the Jewish Rebellions, the First, Second, and Third temples, redemption of the firstborn, and the Western Wall.
I knew little to nothing about all of these. Some of it is thoroughly fascinating - for a start, I had no idea that it still really, truly mattered which of the tribes of Israel a given Israelite descends from. But you don't have to do redemption of the firstborn if you're a Levite, for example. (Or if you're Reform/Reconstructionist.)
All very theoretical knowledge, since, you know, I'm not Jewish, and even if I converted to Judaism, which isn't likely, I'd still be a convert, what with the thing where I have (as far as I know) zero Jewish ancestry and therefore really, truly can not claim descent from any of the tribes, but it's still very interesting.
[Originally posted at Dreamwidth.
comments. Reply there (with OpenID or otherwise) if you wish.]