I’d intended to include this creative writing activity in our Tu B’Shvat Seder, but there wasn’t time. However, since we’re studying the prayers for the Torah Service, this activity increases understanding in that context as well. Students are given 2 information sheets. One sheet,prepared by Jewish National Fund (JNF) www.jnf.org/treesource contains quotes from Judaic texts […]
Hurray for February- the month of B.S. holidays!
Let’s say you’re someone who really enjoys fasting (bear with me, this is going someplace.) You don’t have an eating disorder and you’re not protesting anything, you just like to find any excuse you can to be really, really hungry. Well, if you’re a Muslim- you’re psyched- you’ve got Ramadan- a whole glorious month at the all you can’t eat buffet. If you’re Jewish, you may not get a full month, but there are still ample fasting opportunities- you’ve got Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Tisha B’Av (commemorating the destruction of the Second Temple), Tzom Gedalia (the fast of, um, Gedaliah?) and other fast days sprinkled throughout the year.
But what if you’re a Christian? If you’re Catholic, then you might fast by giving up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for Lent. If you’re a Protestant of some sort- well, the closest you’ll get to fasting is running out of Light Miracle Whip so you can’t bring deviled eggs to Bible study or skipping lunch after church because snake handling makes you queasy (I don’t know what you people do.).
So, clearly this doesn’t bode well for the Christian or secular fasting enthusiast- but, fortunately, there is a totally non-religious solution- the Master Cleanse. This invention gives fans of brutal self depravation a near endless opportunity to consume almost nothing save for a repulsive beverage with the sunny nickname “lemonade”, as in “when life gives you self-loathing- make lemonade!” The Master Cleanse doesn’t care what race you are or what god you worship or whether you bother to worship any at all- it just wants you to starve- a fast even Christopher Hitchens could have loved.
The holidays in February are just like the Master Cleanse- except they encourage you to fill your body with toxins rather than empty it. From Groundhog Day and Super Bowl Sunday to Valentine’s Day and President’s Day- the month is filled with special occasions that do not discriminate by religion or ethnicity and instead celebrate the All American universal traditions of rodent worship, overindulgence, gambling and exchanging Whitman’s Samplers for sex. Here’s a quick round-up of all this month’s bull-shit holidays:
Terumah
This week, we learn about the elaborate details surrounding the erection of the Mishkah – the tabernacle in the Wilderness. For a group of wandering former slaves, this was quite an edifice! Moses gave an elaborate list For the Mishkan that did consist Of lapis lazuli Gold Silver and Jewelry So God could live in our […]
Exuberance and Quiet, Respecting and Listening to Them All
These past few weeks there have been some interesting issues raised in the media concerning personality formation and temperament. The New York Times ran an article on Tuesday, February 14th entitled, “What’s New? Exuberance for Novelty has Benefits” which describes the ways in which novelty seeking, while often associated with Las Vegas gambling and sky […]
Standing At Sinai, the First Time
This past Shabbat at Ansche Chesed, the feminist theologian Judith Plaskow was in our community, to celebrate a bat mitzvah with us. As we read Parashat Yitro – with relates the revelation of the 10 Commandments at Sinai – one sort of feels like it is Plaskow’s signature parasha, given the title of her most well-known […]
Honest Again – Forward
I’ve been away from Honest to God for a few weeks, mostly working on a research project for another audience, but I’ll get back into the swing now, beginning with this. Last month I posted the earlier comment called “Not So Honest Kars-4-Kids” about the charity which would seem to be intentionally obscuring its Orthodox […]
Mishpatim
“An eye for an eye – a tooth for a tooth” — the Lex Talionus. No commandment in the Torah is more misunderstood. As Ghandi is reputed to have said:”If every body followed this commandment, the whole world would be blind and toothless” (My paraphrase – no sources checked…) Jewish tradition has always understood this […]
Reaching Kitah Gimel: The “Kein-Lo” Game
The Kein – Lo Game Divide the class into two or more teams. Give each team 2 index cards, one white and one colored. On the white card is written the word “kein” in Hebrew, which means “yes.” On the colored card is written the word “lo” in Hebrew, which means “no.” Also write the […]
A Walk On The Child Side: Handy Project For Tu B’Shvat And Beyond
Every so often, I walk through my synagogue’s outstanding Early Childhood Center to see the exciting projects underway as the seasons change and the Holiday cycle rolls on. Right now, in honor of Tu B’Shvat, trees are branching out on walls and bulletin boards. I had the pleasure of watching four and five year olds […]
Bin There – Done That: More Ideas On The Way
My kids call it a mess. My husband calls it clutter. I call it unlimited potential. What are we all talking about? We’re referring to the boxes, bags, bins, and files of educational materials and resources that I’ve amassed over decades of involvement in both secular and Jewish education. The original impetus for writing my […]
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