August 2010

  • A Synagogue Guide for Non-Jewish Visitors

    On any given Friday night, most if not all the people in a synagogue are Jewish. They either grew up experiencing the rituals and traditions of the faith or they were diligently taught about them during the process of conversion. Occasionally non-Jewish visitors go to a synagogue as guests of congregants or as curious outsiders of a different faith who want to participate in a cultural exchange. For these newcomers the experience of services at a Jewish house of worship can be strange or jarring. This is a quick guide to demystify some of the unique aspects of ritual at the average synagogue for those who have never visited one before.



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  • Religion Class Causes Stir in Secular School

    How would you feel if your child went to his third grade, secular classroom one day and was instructed that he was going to attend a religious class without your permission? A class that, rather than demonstrating different viewpoints and allowing constructive discussion, serves to only indoctrinate children in one religion—a class that taught your child that only the Muslim faith is the way to live (and die)?

    This very thing happened—only, instead of a Muslim class, it was a Christian one. If it were a Muslim class, do you think this behavior would’ve even been allowed in any secular school district? If it were a Wiccan, Buddhist, or even Jewish “little church on wheels,” as this program was described, not only would the whole situation have probably been avoided entirely—but entire communities be outraged, too.

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  • Mysticism Demystified: 10 Sephirot

    Jewish mysticism, commonly referred to by the name of its collected text Kabbalah, is a subject of contention and much misunderstanding. Much of it came out of the teachings of Judaic scholars in the Middle Ages who attempted to create a deeply spiritual component of Judaism in conjunction with the daily rituals of Halakha and the rabbinic law of Talmud. These scholars were travelers and students of many different modes of thought throughout Europe, North Africa and Muslim-controlled Asia, so their mystical concepts often reflect those influences. It is most important to remember that Kabbalah was never intended to be a system of magic or an explanation of natural phenomena. Rather, it is a deeply metaphorical set of concepts that require an understanding of many Jewish topics and texts in order to apply properly. One of the central concepts in Kabbalah is the Ten Sephirot.



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  • Clearing Up The Misconceptions

    traditional Kaabuist robesEver since I ran for President, a lot of false rumors and misconceptions about me and my family have floated around the water coolers, media outlets and surveys of America. There are a stunning number of people who believe things about me that just aren't true. Well, I've tried to dedicate my presidency to discontinuing the policy of secrets and dishonesty held by the last administration. It's my duty as an elected official to come clean about everything people have asked about me, from the most valid to the most unfounded. Here are my definitive answers, once and for all.



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  • When I get that Feelin' I need Spiritual Healin'

    Have you ever got that "sinking" feeling - for no reason? You know, the feeling that there is something wrong with you or the world and it seems like you just can't seem to shake the thoughts? Perhaps you have been feeling ill lately and desperately need a cure to what ails you? It might be time for a spiritual talk with the leader you most admire or respect.

    Studies have shown that there is some healing power attached to a talk with God. It is the power of faith and belief that give a boost to at least the sense of healing and these feelings can be both positive and negative - depending on the context of the conversation. A real spiritual talk can lift one up and boost both morale and the overall well-being of the recipient.

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  • A Brief Introduction to Talmud

    In the modern day we take the practice of non-geographic religion for granted. While there are still a few so-called "holy cities" left in the world, there is no such thing as a religion that is bound to any one locus. In ancient times, the inverse was true. Few religions that existed two to three thousand years ago could be fully observed in literally any location. Polytheistic faiths, like those practiced by the Greeks and Romans, were dependent on temples and the priests who were bound to them, mobile only insofar as an individual's ability to properly build an altar or in the form of quasi-religious Mystery cults. This was even further pronounced in the earliest Near Eastern cities where the worship of a particular god came and went with the city itself. It's not entirely certain how mobile the earliest incarnations of Judaism were, but by the time the Judaic kingdoms in Canaan were established, Judaism was solidly anchored to the Temple in Jerusalem. It was only after two periods of exile that Judaism became a traveler's religion.



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  • Eat, Pray, Love – Women in Charge of Their Lives

    Women have always been thought of as “the weaker sex." Now the world is finally becoming aware that women are no longer weak and are also taking charge of their lives.

    In the book and the movie “Eat, Pray, Love,” one woman takes an enormous risk by getting a divorce and traveling the world alone in search of herself. Traveling worldwide may seem extreme to some, but to really find herself this woman felt that she had to gain distance from all that was comfortable for her.

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  • The Song of Songs (part nine)

    The eighth and final chapter of The Song of Songs is also the most opaque. Its language is removed and full of stacked metaphors, a nigh-exhausted conclusion to the emotional rollercoaster of Rayati's fight for love and personal liberty. It is at once sad and hopeful, finding our heroine having learned the complexity of the world and fully coming of age as a result.



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  • David Icke's Reptilians

     David Icke is a fascinating figure.  He began his career as a sports commentator for the BBC, and a Green Party spokesman.  Then after a fateful encounter with a psychic, Icke had a spiritual awakening.

    In an interview that was ostensibly to be about something sports-related, Icke announced to the world that "he was the son of God, and predicted that the world would soon be devastated by tidal waves and earthquakes.  From this rapid turnabout, David Icke became one of the most prolific and disturbing futurists in the movement which he dubbed "New Age conspiracism."


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  • Manna, Although Maybe Not From Heaven

    I had always heard the phrase "it's like manna from heaven" to denote "a good thing falling into your lap at random."  And "this tastes like manna," meaning "really delicious."  I even (being a good and true atheist) had a vague idea that manna was a thing from the Bible.  

    But not until this recent Metafilter post did I learn that manna is a real thing!  In fact, you can buy it online.   No joke.

    In Exodus, as the Jews wandered the desert for 40 years, they were sustained by manna which God provided for their food.  "It was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey."


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  • The Song of Songs (part eight)

    Chapter Seven, the penultimate chapter of The Song of Songs, is generally considered the moment in which the two lovers physically consummate their relationship. As with the rest of the poem, it isn't entirely clear whether or not the events therein actually occur. All we really see is Dodi and Rayati making plans together. That, however ambiguous, is actually a major development.



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