I have friends that span the religious, political, age, and social spectrum. I like this. This is an aspect of my life that is important - friends and family that are different and individuals that routinely have opposing viewpoints challenge me and help me grow. Here in our own home, we are also different, I'm a somewhat observant Jew (though I realize that may mean nothing to those that notice and take issue with the fact that I am indeed writing this out on Shabbat), and my boyfriend is a spiritual person who was not raised in an environment of organized religion, and is quite happy with that - though his 'influence' is christian in nature. He is also slightly more conservative than I am, but also quite a bit more anarchistic in his approach to things. This is all good for us.

Hanukah isn't the biggest holiday of the year for Jews, and I've heard a lot of talk about the attempts in America to make it "jewish christmas" - both in the positive and negative light. From the Hebrew word for "dedication" or "consecration", Hanukkah marks the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by the forces of the King of Syria and commemorates the "miracle of the container of oil". According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil. The point of the oil was to celebrate Sukkot, which had been delayed by the war - so it's basically a minor miracle that allowed the temple to be re-dedicated to celebrate a bigger, more important holiday. It's this concept - that we've been given something to allow us to recognize something more important - that my boyfriend and I have taken on as our Hanukkah tradition.

He is the best gentile boyfriend a Good Jewish Girl could hope for - he attends shul with me though he doesn't love it, but takes something interesting out every week we are there, and loves the Torah reading and the sermon. Likewise, with the holidays, he isn't required (obviously) to do any of the observations or keep any mitzvot, but he attends the seder with me at Pesach, and respects the fasting I do on Yom Kippur, though he doesn't fast with me - he did once, just to be able to relate to the experience. So for Hanukkah, a rather minor holiday that is overshadowed by the secular Christmas celebrations, and the very vocal Christian population that wants to remind everyone that "Jesus is the reason for the season" - we needed to find something that would bring us together and not overrule one person's background with that of the other.

We have three beautiful hanukiah that we light each night - one my boyfriend picked out for himself, one that was a gift from a friend, and one I bought on my own a few years back. The boyfriend lights his each night, and I light mine, and we share in the lighting of the third, ostensibly "the cat's menorah." And then, each night, we sit on the floor, listen to music, and list things we are thankful/grateful for, one for each candle (and we also try to project what the cat might be thankful for as well). It prompts some beautiful and intimate conversation - such as my boyfriend's proposition that the cat, if she knew enough to realize it, would be thankful that we don't actually live in Israel, and have regularly scheduled drills to the bomb shelters, or being thankful that we *can* "publish the miracle" of Hanukkah without fear of reprisal in our neighborhood (despite not seeing any other lights in windows facing the park in the middle of our complex.) I say the blessings, we don't sing Maoz Tsur (though I occasionally play a recorded version of it) and we don't play with a dreidel. Likewise, a week from now is Christmas, "his" holiday - and I expressed a willingness to get a tree or put up lights as he sees fit (which he ended up deciding against this year, for his own personal reasons.) He will open the presents his parents sent him for Christmas, while they sent me 8 small packages to open during hanukkah. Last night, after lighting the candles, and then lighting the shabbat candles, and serving shabbat dinner (which for us is typically NOT a chicken meal, it's tuna steaks cooked in a tomato broth with peas, from an italian jewish cookbook) - we call our families, who each live in separate states. And then for us, the rest of the evening is spent together, talking, sharing, thinking, or just sitting together. This is our holiday. The December Dilemma has been supplanted by a new, personal tradition that reflects and understands the needs for both our pasts, and our combined future.

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach, and Blessings to you.

Crossposted to my journal, WeirdJews, Interfaith Love, and JBCS

I have friends that span the religious, political, age, and social spectrum. I like this. This is an aspect of my life that is important - friends and family that are different and individuals that routinely have opposing viewpoints challenge me and help me grow. Here in our own home, we are also different, I'm a somewhat observant Jew (though I realize that may mean nothing to those that notice and take issue with the fact that I am indeed writing this out on Shabbat), and my boyfriend is a spiritual person who was not raised in an environment of organized religion, and is quite happy with that - though his 'influence' is christian in nature. He is also slightly more conservative than I am, but also quite a bit more anarchistic in his approach to things. This is all good for us.

Hanukah isn't the biggest holiday of the year for Jews, and I've heard a lot of talk about the attempts in America to make it "jewish christmas" - both in the positive and negative light. From the Hebrew word for "dedication" or "consecration", Hanukkah marks the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by the forces of the King of Syria and commemorates the "miracle of the container of oil". According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil. The point of the oil was to celebrate Sukkot, which had been delayed by the war - so it's basically a minor miracle that allowed the temple to be re-dedicated to celebrate a bigger, more important holiday. It's this concept - that we've been given something to allow us to recognize something more important - that my boyfriend and I have taken on as our Hanukkah tradition. He is the best gentile boyfriend a Good Jewish Girl could hope for - he attends shul with me though he doesn't love it, but takes something interesting out every week we are there, and loves the Torah reading and the sermon. Likewise, with the holidays, he isn't required (obviously) to do any of the observations or keep any mitzvot, but he attends the seder with me at Pesach, and respects the fasting I do on Yom Kippur, though he doesn't fast with me - he did once, just to be able to relate to the experience. So for Hanukkah, a rather minor holiday that is overshadowed by the secular Christmas celebrations, and the very vocal Christian population that wants to remind everyone that "Jesus is the reason for the season" - we needed to find something that would bring us together and not overrule one person's background with that of the other.

We have three beautiful hanukiah that we light each night - one my boyfriend picked out for himself, one that was a gift from a friend, and one I bought on my own a few years back. The boyfriend lights his each night, and I light mine, and we share in the lighting of the third, ostensibly "the cat's menorah." And then, each night, we sit on the floor, listen to music, and list things we are thankful/grateful for, one for each candle (and we also try to project what the cat might be thankful for as well). It prompts some beautiful and intimate conversation - such as my boyfriend's proposition that the cat, if she knew enough to realize it, would be thankful that we don't actually live in Israel, and have regularly scheduled drills to the bomb shelters, or being thankful that we *can* "publish the miracle" of Hanukkah without fear of reprisal in our neighborhood (despite not seeing any other lights in windows facing the park in the middle of our complex.) I say the blessings, we don't sing Maoz Tsur (though I occasionally play a recorded version of it) and we don't play with a dreidel. Likewise, a week from now is Christmas, "his" holiday - and I expressed a willingness to get a tree or put up lights as he sees fit (which he ended up deciding against this year, for his own personal reasons.) He will open the presents his parents sent him for Christmas, while they sent me 8 small packages to open during hanukkah. Last night, after lighting the candles, and then lighting the shabbat candles, and serving shabbat dinner (which for us is typically NOT a chicken meal, it's tuna steaks cooked in a tomato broth with peas, from an italian jewish cookbook) - we call our families, who each live in separate states. And then for us, the rest of the evening is spent together, talking, sharing, thinking, or just sitting together. This is our holiday. The December Dilemma has been supplanted by a new, personal tradition that reflects and understands the needs for both our pasts, and our combined future.

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach, and Blessings to you.

Crossposted to my journal, WeirdJews, Interfaith Love, and JBCS

So, I have a question for those of you in the group that keep kosher. What are the laws regarding alcohol? I know that you have grape products made by Gentiles, presumably because way back when the making of wine was a religious act. But then I remember reading an article a while ago about there now being a kosher form of tequila in Mexico. So what makes alcohol kosher?

I got this from Liberal Judaism here in the UK, since I'm a member - think this is a good cause! (sorry about the gaps but LJ is acting up for me and I can't seem to get rid of them without the page disappearing).

Chanukkah Call to Action from Rabbi Danny Rich



Liberal Jews across the UK are being asked to wear their tallitot in solidarity with Women of the Wall this Shabbat.



Following the arrest of Nofrat Frankel, who was wearing a tallit and a kippah and carrying a scroll during the Women of the Wall’s Rosh Chodesh Kislev prayers, the Women of the Wall are determined to return in even larger numbers for Rosh Chodesh Tevet which falls this coming Friday (18 December).



Nofrat Frankel, whose career as a doctor is threatened by this arrest, was held under regulations which date back to the mandate period of King George V of 1924. To these 12 rules was added a thirteenth in 1993, namely that ‘one may not perform a religious act that offends the feelings of others’. The arresting officer, a Druze, was presumably not offended but perhaps he was reflecting the views of some of the more traditional Jews who act as though the Wall belongs to their particular sect.



Rabbi Danny Rich, Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism, observes, ‘It is ironic that during the celebration of Chanukkah which recalls the example of the few who fought for religious freedom, it is in the very same land – of Israel - that women are forced to fight for their religious rights. Although it is not our universal custom I am calling upon our congregants to wear their tallitot both on Erev Shabbat and on Shabbat morning.’

Here's a list in case you need more convincing :-> Chag urim sameach!

3. Using your understanding of how sugyot are formed and how they work, create a small sugya, inventing texts as needed to fill in the pattern that you want your sugya to have. Your topic can be serious or whimsical, possibly a matter of law or of ethics. (28 points)

( Whimsy under the cut )

Hey guys,

Just wanted to give a heads up on the sweet Hannukah shirt on woot.com:

http://shirt.woot.com/Friends.aspx?k=11423

It's $10, and for $5 extra you can have it by Friday.

The number of rabbis who appear in opera can probably be numbered on the fingers of one hand--the only opera in which I can think of one is Halevy's La Juive--but I've just come across another one. It is true that he does nothing rabbinical beyond a few extended references to Scriptural texts, that's he really a marriage broker, and that his contribution is essentially nudging the hero into getting married to a pretty girl--but the libretto describes him as a rabbi, although that's only in the dramatis personae. If you went by the actual text of the libretto, you'd would only think of him as a middle aged guy who tends to quote Scripture more than usual.

The opera is L'Amico Fritz, by Pietro Mascagni. Mascagni's best known opera is the one act Cavalleria Rusticana, which set the pace for verismo opera, with a fairly tawdry plot that ends in tragedy. L'Amico Fritz is his second best known work, and is fairly different. It's an idyllic comedy (although there are not really any jokes or absurd situations) in three short acts (running time is actually only about fifteen minutes longer than Cavalleria--just over ninety minutes) set in rural Alsace. The rabbi is given the name David, and he's one of Fritz's friends--Fritz being the hero, and the local landlord--who prod him into realizing he loves the daughter of one of his tenant farmers.

Just thought you might be curious. (Post prompted by buying a new recording on DG featuring Roberto Alagna as Fritz, Angela Goerghiu as the girl he loves, and George Pretean as Rabbi David.)

Funny column in The New Yorker by Paul Rudnick providing helpful tips to Christians about how not to offend their Jewish friends during the Christmas holiday season. ("Never refer to Hanukkah as “their Christmas,” “Merry Wannabe,” or “the Goldberg variation.”")

Rudnick also wrote one of my favorite seasonal columns ever: The Gospel of Debbie

While singing Maoz Tzur this evening, I looked at the english translation and realized that I don't know who are the seven shepherds referenced in the last verse. A google search only yielded the results that it references a section in Michah (5:3), but I don't have a mikraot gdolot for that or any commentary whatsoever in my Tanach so I still don't know what Michah is referring to in that verse, other than that it has something to do with the coming of the Mashiach and defeating Assyria as well as other empires. Does anybody know who the seven shepherds are?

I've never actually been to our JCC - but I have to go on Thursday, because I have a job interview there (which I am very excited about) - my question is this: I'm not frum, but I am relatively cognizant of the sensitivities of others to modesty. Typically, when I dress for an interview, it's in a pants suit, because it's just easier than a skirt, for some reason, though I could easily pull off a skirt and jacket (with tights and heels) - I don't have any long skirts though - mostly knee length. Will this be an issue? Am I overthinking it?

Favourite latke/Chanukaf recipe?

Preferably gluten-free if it can be so.

Merci, and Chag Sameach!

I'm looking to do some cooking and want to try a new preparation.

Your best brisket recipe. Share?

NYTIMES: Gift to the Jews - Nonreturnable

:blink:?

And here's the video, over on Tablet magazine.

Catchy...

As of 20 minutes ago, the 1st day of Hanukkah has begun in Israel!

So, happy Hanukkah for all of you Jews out there, eat alot of sufganiyot and light the menorah, and pray for a miracle. (praying for the returning of our kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit would be great)

חנוכה שמח!

I think the soul is my conscious mind- my I- my [sense of] self- my ego.

I don't think it's any mysterious thing.

If you ask me who am I- or where am I- I would say I feel like a cloud hovering over my forehead.

Interestingly, this is where God was in the Tabernacle/Temple. He was above the Ark cover between the Cherubim.

This Tabernacle/Temple could be schematized as a face, with the brain being the Ark(inside was the essence of the "Torah") and the mind being the God who hovers over the Ark; the eyes would be the Menora and the face-bread table(that which is illuminated); the nose would be the Golden insence altar; the mouth would be the altar of burnt offerings(God's "food").

God is saying to us, you want to know where I am? I am in the same place you are: a mind hovering above the brain, on a face.

By hovering above the Ark, God is saying that- just like the your mind- He doesn't inhabit time and space either.

So the Tora teaches us how to think of/locate our souls: the soul is another name for the mind that hovers above the brain.

There are brain studies which corroborate this- I mean, the transcendence of the mind in brain studies.

What do you think about this?

From http://state-of-exile.blogspot.com/2009/08/list-of-potential-jewish-heresies.html

On the desolate ruins wrought by heresy, the sublime knowledge of God will build her temple.
- Abraham Isaac Kook

Elders of Zion:
Reading the works of anti-Semites as divine writ.

Evangelical Judaism:
Promoting missionary work in Africa to replenish the fold.

Gnostic Judaism:
Cultivating hidden manna in the desert of the real.

Hebrew Orthodox Church:
Practicing Eastern Orthodoxy as it was before Byzantium.

Islamojudaism:
Acknowledging Mohammad as apostle to the Arabs and crypto-warrior Jew.

Jews for Gentiles:
Chosen to serve the nations as priests and financial advisors.

Neo-Essenes:
Regrouping to await the end of the world at Qumran.

Semitic Nations:
Preaching Arab-Jewish holy war against the Aryan-Iranian hellspawn.

Temple of Latter Day Prophets:
Affirming the ancient Hebrew presence in America and renewing it as divine mission.

Yahweh's Witnesses:
Going door to door to spread His word.

Zevianity:
Spreading the good news that Sabbatai Zevi converted for our sins.

For those of you who read Hebrew, want to practice your Hebrew, or just enjoy a bit of Hebrew humor, I saw this on a community mailing list and wanted to pass it along.

Too long to translate in one sitting, and it might lose some of the humor by doing so, but great read! Anyone wanting to translate, be my guest.

( Observant vs Secular Perspective on Chanukah )