Not a Jewish Buddhist
Friday was the easiest subbing day ever, mostly because on class just had to read silently, and two others had a guest speaker come in (more on that in a minute), and one of the classes had a student teacher working with it. So my job was fairly simple.
When I read the lesson plan, the teacher had written, "For C and D block, the classes will come in and the other teacher who teaches D Block will handle most of the class because we have arranged together to have Rabbi Benjamin come speak to the class about Judaism."
Cool! I thought to myself. I am always interested in learning about other cultures and religions, and though I have and had Jewish friends, religion never seemed to come up, so this sounded really like a fun day for me.
When I pictured Rabbi Benjamin, I pictured a fairly stereotypical older man with a beard and a yarmulke. Two out of three wasn't bad. The Rabbi had a light beard and a yarmulke, but he was young. And cute. (Side note: When I was an undergrad, I had this awesome roommate who happened to be Catholic. As you know, the Catholic clergy do not marry but remain celibate. Her term for a really cute, Catholic clergyman was "Father What-a-waste." Though I know Rabbis can marry, I kind of see Rabbi Benjamin as the Jewish equivalent to the Catholic "Father What-a-waste.")
But aside from the shallow and superficial, it was another great experience that helped me see how much we all have in common rather than what divides us, religiously speaking.
Sadly, this explanation of my thoughts about Judaism will not be as introspective as the one about Islam, for while I was listening to the Rabbi, I was also keeping an eye on the students. This means I couldn't pay attention like I wanted to, but I still came away with a few thoughts. (Side note: One student's cell phone went off during the presentation, and I wanted to smack her. When I am a teacher of my own class, the rule about cell phones will be this: When a phone goes off in class, I get to answer it and tell the person exactly WHY the student cannot answer. And then I keep the phone until the end of the day.)
One of the things that he spoke about was the belief in many rabbinical schools regarding disagreement. Some people, he said, may think that two scholars are arguing about something and it may seem upsetting to people who don't understand. But what is really going on is not argument, but learning.
"When we challenge one another, that's when we learn," Rabbi Benjamin said. "If we always agree, what do we have to learn from one another?"
He then continued, "We can disagree. You and I," he pointed to another student, "can disagree fundamentally about something, but we can also be respectful of that difference and agree that while we may not see eye to eye, we still can see the spark of God within the other."
What a beautiful thought. I don't need to agree with everything that someone says or does, but I can still acknowledge the "spark of God" within that person. Respect has very little to do with agreeing with a person and everything to do with allowing that person the freedom to choose for him or herself. I think it's the little things like this that I need reminding of the most.
When I read the lesson plan, the teacher had written, "For C and D block, the classes will come in and the other teacher who teaches D Block will handle most of the class because we have arranged together to have Rabbi Benjamin come speak to the class about Judaism."
Cool! I thought to myself. I am always interested in learning about other cultures and religions, and though I have and had Jewish friends, religion never seemed to come up, so this sounded really like a fun day for me.
When I pictured Rabbi Benjamin, I pictured a fairly stereotypical older man with a beard and a yarmulke. Two out of three wasn't bad. The Rabbi had a light beard and a yarmulke, but he was young. And cute. (Side note: When I was an undergrad, I had this awesome roommate who happened to be Catholic. As you know, the Catholic clergy do not marry but remain celibate. Her term for a really cute, Catholic clergyman was "Father What-a-waste." Though I know Rabbis can marry, I kind of see Rabbi Benjamin as the Jewish equivalent to the Catholic "Father What-a-waste.")
But aside from the shallow and superficial, it was another great experience that helped me see how much we all have in common rather than what divides us, religiously speaking.
Sadly, this explanation of my thoughts about Judaism will not be as introspective as the one about Islam, for while I was listening to the Rabbi, I was also keeping an eye on the students. This means I couldn't pay attention like I wanted to, but I still came away with a few thoughts. (Side note: One student's cell phone went off during the presentation, and I wanted to smack her. When I am a teacher of my own class, the rule about cell phones will be this: When a phone goes off in class, I get to answer it and tell the person exactly WHY the student cannot answer. And then I keep the phone until the end of the day.)
One of the things that he spoke about was the belief in many rabbinical schools regarding disagreement. Some people, he said, may think that two scholars are arguing about something and it may seem upsetting to people who don't understand. But what is really going on is not argument, but learning.
"When we challenge one another, that's when we learn," Rabbi Benjamin said. "If we always agree, what do we have to learn from one another?"
He then continued, "We can disagree. You and I," he pointed to another student, "can disagree fundamentally about something, but we can also be respectful of that difference and agree that while we may not see eye to eye, we still can see the spark of God within the other."
What a beautiful thought. I don't need to agree with everything that someone says or does, but I can still acknowledge the "spark of God" within that person. Respect has very little to do with agreeing with a person and everything to do with allowing that person the freedom to choose for him or herself. I think it's the little things like this that I need reminding of the most.