I was raised in a small Georgia town where the membership of the orthodox synogogue and the *very* reform temple depended largely on which neighborhood one lived in. My folks slid easily between one and the other. The Reform Rabbi, Goldberg, was a major influence on my life. He spent as much time lecturing to nonJewish religious and cultural groups as at Congregation Children of Israel. He even spoke at the public school I attended to the PTA--this in the ewarly 1950s small-town Deep South, to a segregated by law public school where the day started with "The Lord's Prayer" and Christian grace was said by all at lunch. He was well received, and was, for fifty or more years, a great light for religious and social good will.
I *like* the new Reform Judaism, am very comfortable with it, but I look back with fondness on those days when the only belief was in good works and social progress.
I'm sure I don't get even half of it, but just on the poetry side it's totally compelling. It's probably my favorite piece of yours that I've read so far. I really like it -- it's inspired.
THANK YOU!tausirhasirimFebruary 11 2006, 08:49:55 UTC
Coming from my favorite living poet, this is high praise indeed. Much appreciated. It was almost literally "inspired" two weeks ago today, when, for the umteenth time I stood mute during Kaddish at my synagogue, I decided to explain why -- to myself and anyone who cared to hear me out.
The existence of Judaism is why I believe in deitytemplewhoreFebruary 11 2006, 15:01:28 UTC
I went to Loyola University for a couple of years. Being 28, I was about ten years older than the other people in class when I started. I was walking on campus after class with one young man who said to me, I know the Church (Catholics) are real because they've been around and functioning for over 2,000 years. I laughed. Honey, I said if that were true, the Jews have you beat from here to Hell
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Re: The existence of Judaism is why I believe in deitytausirhasirimFebruary 11 2006, 22:54:38 UTC
The *survival* of the Jewish nation - considering the hospitality of Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Russians, Germans, Brits et al is sufficiently remarkable that it actually annoys some historians. So be it. I use the word "miracle" sparingly, but I'll cop to it in this context
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Re: The existence of Judaism is why I believe in deitytemplewhoreFebruary 12 2006, 04:40:14 UTC
From what I understand of Hebrew its a language that can only be understood through feeling it. The word is an experience. B'shert for example can only be understood through surrender of self to fate (God) -- without that it can mean nothing. Something of this is recognized in 1 John where it says the Word was with God and the word was God. The New Testament had some surprises in it inspite of Christianity chopping it up
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Re: The existence of Judaism is why I believe in deitytausirhasirimFebruary 12 2006, 05:04:34 UTC
"Something of this is recognized in 1 John where it says the Word was with God and the word was God. The New Testament had some surprises in it inspite of Christianity chopping it up
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I *like* the new Reform Judaism, am very comfortable with it, but I look back with fondness on those days when the only belief was in good works and social progress.
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My best hunch is, in Biblical and Second Temple times, it meant something like "tah-dah!"
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like abracadabra alacazzam, tah-dah! ?:-)?
i was reading somewhere about it possibly meaning silence
..."the suspension point as the fulcrum for scales or the silence between musical notes."...
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