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Religious Journeys

Author: InterfaithFamily.com Editor (---.reonbroadband.com)
Date: 09-17-01 15:56

Please post your comments on our religious journeys articles here:

<a href="/article/issue69/podel.phtml">Coming Back after Twenty-Five Years</a> By Robert Podel

<a href="/article/issue69/harper.phtml">Finding My Way after Growing Up Christian with a Jewish Mother</a> By Allison Harper

<a href="/article/issue69/mueller.phtml">Spirituality from an Unlikely Source</a> By Edie Aronowitz Mueller

Robert Podel's article

Author: Elie Aharon (---.cpinternet.com)
Date: 09-23-01 14:51

What a delightful and unexpected history! I grew up in about the same period (I'm 48) as a Christian (I'm Jewish now), and I remember how radical it seemed then when we held ecumenical services within Christian churches... Protestants and Catholics together for example. There was *no* interfaith cooperation that I was aware of.

Yet in this same period, you found sufficient Catholic support and flexibility... which ultimately enabled you to find a comfortable "home" in Judaism. It bolsters my faith that providing support and encouragement of the religious journey, regardless of the starting point or stops along the way, is the best way to serve both the needs of families and the future of our faiths.

It's particulary noteworthy to me that you made the decision to raise the kids Catholic, with a respect for other traditions. In my situation I'm the Jewish one, my fiancee is Catholic, and her kids have been "started" Catholic and will need to stay Catholic, which I fully support. She'd like to convert at some point... that's entirely up to her. Our home will be liberally Jewish (mezuzah, shabbat, holidays) around what I do, and we'll fully support the kid's involvement in their Catholic tradition along with their Dad and extended family, which means I'll be attending Mass from time to time as a Jewish visitor.

Is it a hopeless mess, or a delightful stew? We're betting on delicious stew, with a base of respect and support for both our family's traditions. You said it all when you wrote, "For those who despair when a Jew marries a non-Jew, I say, "No one can predict what will happen down the road." Amen!

Elie Aharon

Edie Mueller's article

Author: Elie Aharon (---.cpinternet.com)
Date: 09-23-01 15:22

"And I've discovered that it is this spiritual life that unites me with my husband's family. I feel a kinship with my mother-in-law that is never spoken about."

What a wonderful statement... and a nice dose of spiritual reality. Your story confirms that our various traditions are afloat on an ocean of divinity... and that working to create synagogues, churches and mosques that reflect that is work of the highest priority. Especially now.

Thanks for your article.

Elie Aharon

Allison Harper's article

Author: Elie Aharon (---.cpinternet.com)
Date: 09-23-01 16:00

Allison, what an amazing blend of intellectual thought, questions, frustration, and hopefulness you present. You remind me of myself many years ago! I wound up with a degree in theology, mostly to answer my own questions, I think.

You said that "The focus on Jews is always on their suffering first, and the strength and beauty of the tools of their religion and culture second, if at all. Where is the beauty?"

"Jewish" historically hasen't been the subject of a lot of popular press that isn't either superficial or suffering-oriented, though that's changing I think. I'm fond of saying that Judaism is theology's greatest secret... even from the Jews! (tongue in cheek). A great deal of the beauty is in Jewish homes and community, which doesn't make the headlines. It's pretty difficult to write a piece on the Sukkot holiday, for example, without first writing about its background and meaning, which is generally out of the range of the popular press.

TV characters like Jerry Seinfeld enjoy acceptance (a good thing), but can you imagine a Seinfeld episode that included a sukkah (small temporary dwelling for Sukkot)? The explanation would overrun the script.

I came to Judaism intellectually first, then opened to it more personally as I was moved to explore what a Jewish life *felt* like for me... lighting the candles at shabbat, etc. The really open and affirming theologies in liberal Judaism gave me intellectual space to breathe, and the focus on creating holiness in our homes and "ordinary" lives lent meaning... and I was home... not without the continuing questioning that's part of any religious life, but home!

Just my 2 cents... it's a good question! Have a wonderfilled exploring.

Elie Aharon

Allison

Author: Susan (---.milwaukee.k12.wi.us)
Date: 09-23-01 17:50

Your story reminds me so much of my own. I was terribly ignorant at your age. My first Hebrew teacher was a seven-year-old for whom I babysat at twenty. I didn't even realize that Jews had a religion until I was in high school. However I've worked at it for over a quarter century, little by little, line by line, precept by precept (as the Torah says) and eventually I learned enough that my Jewish-born-and-raised husband started deferring to me as the "expert" in the family. The point is that many born Jews know no more than you do. Remember, if your mother is Jewish, then you are too, according to Jewish law, and nobody should ever ask you to convert. My advice is to make friends with a Jewish family, spend Shabbat and holidays with them, and let them show you the ropes and take you to services with them. My mentors were a Lubavich rabbi's family. Lubavich was the original "outreach" organization, and they're everywhere. They can be pretty strict about things, but they're much friendlier and openminded than you might think, and they don't really brainwash you if you don't want them to. They do teach a lot about day-to-day Judaism, as well as the yearly holiday cycle, so this is just about a perfect time to begin learning.

I see from your little biographical blurb that you just graduated from Harvard. The Boston area, with so many Jews, so many different synagogues, with Harvard, Brandeis, and other institutions would be a wonderful place to explore and learn about Judaism. Perhaps if you're in a larger English city, you can find places there. Oxford is a leading center of Jewish education, and London and some northern cities also have large Jewish populations. Good luck.

Resources for Allison

Author: Benjamin (---.tnt6.bos2.da.uu.net)
Date: 09-25-01 00:01

Allison,

As Susan said the Lubavich can be a good place to start. I have met quite a few people who are by no means Orthodox, but became reconnected to Judaism because of their contact with a Lubavich Rabbi. Their organization is called Chabad. As Susan said, they are everywhere (I believe 2,500 Chabad locations worldwide to date). You find a location near you in England, or wherever you should find yourself, by going to www.chabadonline.com. The site (and its companion site, www.chabad.com) also has a great selection of information about Judaism and an "ask the Rabbi" feature. Although Chabad Rabbis adhere to the strictest level of observance, they are quite open, non-judgmental and compassionate.

I would also recommend another outreach organization, Aish HaTorah. They are also on the web at www.aish.com. The web site has all kinds of resources for exploring Judaism. And the Aish branches, now worldwide, feature all manner of classes and Rabbis who will take the time to answer any and all questions you have. There is a branch in London (you can get the contact info for the branches from the web site. Although they are traditional in their orientation, they, like Chabad, are non-judgmental and take every person wherever they are. At the Aish branch I attended, there were several grown children of intermarriages with similar backgrounds to yours, who came there to learn in an open, honest and caring atmosphere.

I wish you much happiness in your spiritual journey.

My Spiritual Journey

Author: Michael Hoffman (---.psmins.com)
Date: 09-28-01 15:29

Like many Jewish boys of my generation, my religious training seemed totally focused on getting through my Bar Mitzvah, the rite of passage that a 13-year Jew goes through to signify that he is now an adult and bound by Jewish law.

I attended public school during the day and Hebrew school 2 afternoons a week and Sunday morning.

I hated Hebrew School. The teachers were mean and not at all sympathetic to a sensitive and introverted kid like me. (Yes, it’s hard to believe but I was sensitive and very introverted as a child.) They would ridicule you if you were not prepared or couldn’t keep up with the rest of the class. Having a poor aptitude for foreign languages (especially one with an entirely different alphabet) and not much interest in history, I was often ridiculed.

I was a shy and introverted kid who was very sensitive. I used to come home from Hebrew School in tears sometimes. But a Jewish boy has to be Bar Mitzvahed or the family will talk!-it would be a scandal!

One day I was so upset because I was called stupid in Hebrew School that I came home and told my parents that I was not going back under any circumstances, even if it meant that I would not be Bar Mitzvahed. Thankfully, my parents pulled me out of Hebrew School and found a local Rabbi who would tutor me privately and was very sensitive to my insecurities. Studying with this Rabbi was the only positive Jewish experience that I had as a child. Nonetheless, I vowed that once I got through my Bar Mitzvah I would never go back to Temple and I pretty much kept that promise except for family weddings and funerals.

My next experience with organized religion happened when I was about 15 or 16 years old. I became friends with a couple of guys who attended Sabbath services each week and they talked me into going along. Being a dumb kid who didn’t know any better, I rolled out of bed, threw on some jeans and a wrinkled T-shirt, and set out to meet my friends. Imagine my embarrassment when I met up with them and they were all dressed up in suits and ties. They were nice enough to pretend that nothing was wrong and we headed off to Temple. I stuck out like a sore thumb dressed like a slob with all these people who were all dressed up! But it only got worse. During his sermon from the pulpit and staring right at me, the Rabbi chose to add a few words about how disrespectful it was to come to Sabbath services without dressing up appropriately and how we should all know better. I felt like all eyes were on me and they probably were. That was it! I would never step foot in Temple again!

In spite of these negative experiences with organized religion, I always felt very Jewish. Culturally and ethnically, I knew I was a Jew. I also always had a belief-a strong one- in some kind of “higher power.” I was just unable to make the connection between these beliefs and the organized practice of Judaism because of my negative experiences.

I was 33 years old when my father died. I think this is the first time that I actually felt the presence of a higher power. I went into a deep depression when I lost my father and one of the causes was that I did not know ritually what to do to acknowledge his passing. This I admit was very odd for someone who never practiced his faith had had nothing but disdain for the organized religion. But no matter how depressed I got, I felt a power within me that was moving me to a better place. And I sought out people who could at least mechanically help me follow Jewish ritual practice in my father’s memory.

I did not get married until I was 35 years old. I married my soul mate. Her name is Maureen and she is Irish and a practicing Catholic. When we moved to New Jersey a few years later, Maureen became active in her church helping with fundraising and other projects. She often asked me to help her with these, which I gladly did. We also became very active socially in church functions. The Catholic church community welcomed me with open arms and we all knew and respected each other’s boundaries…what they and I felt I could or couldn’t do. Deep inside I knew that I could never be anything but Jewish and more than Maureen could ever be anything but Christian. As I found myself getting more and more involved in a Christian social community, it awakened a need in me to find my own faith community.

I registered for a course called Introduction to Judaism so I could learn some of the basics and not feel so stupid about my religion. I made Maureen take this course with me because I was too insecure to take it alone. (Actually she loves learning about other religions so I wasn’t asking much.) Then it was time to start attending worship services. I again made Maureen come with me because of my insecurities, which when one thinks of it was ludicrous because she knew even less about Judaism than I did! But she came with me for the first few weeks. I am fortunate that I entered a welcoming and loving Jewish community at Temple Shalom in Aberdeen. Like a little bird who’s mother knows when he is ready to leave the nest, Maureen told me I didn’t need her to go with me all the time, that I had found my faith community. And she was right and we are both very fortunate that we have been welcomed into two different faith communities and can actively participate in each while respecting each other’s boundaries.

Soon I volunteered to chair a committee at Temple and that was the springboard to meet many people and make a lot of friends. Having no children or close family in New Jersey, Maureen and I are blessed with great friends who make sure that we are never alone on a Jewish holiday! Since that day in 1989 that I first walked in to Temple Shalom, I have served the Temple as Fundraising Chairperson, Assistant Treasurer, Treasurer, Executive Vice President and President! I am now serving as Immediate Past President, which mean I sit on the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees. I am also presently an active member on our Caring Committee, Ritual Committee, Committee on Adult Jewish Growth and our Outreach Committee.

So now I am on the third page and I still haven’t really gotten into spirituality. As I just mentioned, my participation in Temple life has over the years been primarily in administrative and leadership capacities. But over the years, I was drawn more and more to religious study, attending workshops and study classes. A few years ago, I asked my Rabbi to sponsor me for a program within the Reform Jewish Movement called Para-Rabbinic Fellows. This program trains lay people in skills needed to assist clergy in serving their congregations. I am proud to say that I have just completed the second level of this program and I am a certified Para-Rabbinic Fellow!

My connection with God has been a strange one. I always felt their was something there and after my father’s death actually felt the power of that something within me which helped me to get through a very difficult time. Since then, I have felt that power a number of times. I have not spent much time studying; pondering or analyzing what form God exists in. I don’t know if God is a force within each of us, a force of nature or an old man with a long white beard sitting up in the clouds. To me it never really mattered. I know the higher power exists and for me that is enough.

If there was not a God, I don’t think a kid with my background could have gone from someone who hated his religious studies enough to be willing to face the shame of foregoing his Jewish rite of passage to a being lay para-clergy.

One thing I have always been sure of is that God is a non-intervening God. That he created us with free will with the ability to choose right or wrong and that he does not interfere with those decisions. That is why bad things happen some times and that is why we sometimes make poor choices.

So here I am. My spiritual life is a firm belief in God, in what shape or form I do not know.

Author: Bryce (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 09-30-01 22:01

Interesting journey, Michael. The following is just to get you thinking.

"One thing I have always been sure of is that God is a non-intervening God. That he created us with free will with the ability to choose right or wrong and that he does not interfere with those decisions. "

/// Just because He doesn't interfere with our MORAL decisions does not mean that He's a non-intervening God, does it?

"I know the higher power exists and for me that is enough. "

/// Are you sure that's enough? Aren't you curious whether or not He WANTS anything from you?

#8, #9

Author: Susan (---.as4.nwbl0.wi.voyager.net)
Date: 09-30-01 22:38

Thanks to Michael for sharing a very interesting and inspiring story. It just proves that those arrogant "know-it-all" attitudes of the young can give way to more mature attitudes as we mature and as we experience what life dishes out to us.

I would just suggest to Bryce that there are as many understandings of God as there are individuals. What Michael believes is what's true for Michael, even if it isn't necessarily what's true for Bryce, and I think we all need to respect that.

#8,9,10

Author: Michael Hoffman (---.dyn.optonline.net)
Date: 10-01-01 00:02

Thanks to both Susan and Bryce for your comments. Point in fact, I think you are both right. I did not mean to imply that it was not important what shape or form God is. It is just that my spiritual development has been such that it hasn't been the first priority. Perhaps that is backwards. But I felt the power of God and I have studied and I do believe...the form of God of "what God wants from me" just hasn't gotten to the top of the list yet. In the mean time, I know I believe and I have felt the power of God in my life.

Your statement, Bryce, about moral decisions vs. intervention is a very interesting one and something that I will reflect on; I think you make an interesting distinction.

Thank you both for your comments and thanks to everyone who has posted to this page. It has helped me a lot!

Author: Jeri Zeder (---.z208176094.bos-ma.dsl.cnc.net)
Date: 10-05-01 18:57

Anne, yours is one of the most beautiful articles I've seen IFF publish. Thank you.

sept 11?

Author: suzanne weinstein (---.vif.net)
Date: 10-07-01 09:27

hello. i am not very good on this net, and i am not sure where this will go.however,i am looking for a place to contact ppl interested in a "new world order". I am a practicing "right-wing" modern Orthodox Jew. While sitting in my Sukkah yesterday on Shabbos I realized that the world needs a new "religion" that encompasses the best tenents of every faith and finds a way to promote this so it is palatable to the masses aroung the globe. There must be something like this going already, but I have no idea where to find out. If anyone knows, plz email me.
As well, if you haven't heard, every Jew in the world is to say Shema tonight, Oct.7 at 8 p.m., in the hope that a good prayer will have some positive effect for peace. Thanks.

Author: Bryce (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 10-07-01 10:43

I hate to burst your bubble, Suzanne, but I suspect that if you came up with up with a religion palatable to the masses of humanity, it wouldn't be palatable to a modern Orthodox Jew. However, it might be palatable to many others. Perhaps you've heard of Noahidism? Try a search on Noahidism or Noachide on the Net.
(Thank for the reminder about tonight at 8:00. I'm gonna do it.)

New articles on religious journeys

Author: InterfaithFamily.com Editor (---.ne.mediaone.net)
Date: 10-09-01 11:07

Please post your comments here on the following articles:
<a href="article/issue70/mcmahon.phtml">My Sense of Being an Outsider Changed One Day in September</a> By Teresa A. McMahon
<a href="article/issue70/hellman.phtml">Seeking Comfort</a> By Paula Lee Hellman
<a href="article/issue70/modesitt.phtml">An Interfaith Sweater</a> By Annie Modesitt
<a href="article/issue70/yackley.phtml">Questioning God, but Not My Identity as a Jew</a> By Rachel Baruch Yackley
<a href="article/issue70/joi.phtml">When The Journey <i>Is</i> The Goal</a>From the Jewish Outreach Institute

my religious journey

Author: Aviva (---.ne.mediaone.net)
Date: 10-11-01 16:10

I have always been a secular Jew. I don't believe in a supreme being. I haven't felt comfortable at any services I have attended--due to the Hebrew that I don't know and the prayers to God as if God were a person, which I cannot accept.

Nevertheless, the recent terrorism made me feel the need to be part of a community, and I am intensifying the search I was already on to try to find a Jewish congregation where I do feel comfortable. It feels urgent to me now.

Author: Bryce (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 10-11-01 22:01

Aviva,
I'm glad to hear you want to join a synagogue. However, I hope and trust that you have much more significant criteria than that you feel comfortable there. If the synagogue makes you (the general 'you') feel comfortable with your level of Jewish living, then the synagogue is not doing its job.

Message #17

Author: Mina (---.rutgers.edu)
Date: 10-12-01 07:41

Hi, Aviva. If you are uncomfortable with anthropomorphic, transcendent conceptions of God, I recommend that you check out Reconstructionist Judaism. I hasten to say that I am an enthusiastic Reconstructionist, but am not in the conversion business :). I'm only saying this to Aviva because of what she has stated her theology to be. If you're interested, check out www.jrf.org.

Author: Bryce (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 10-12-01 11:54

Mina, Does not Reconstructionism refer to God as being transcendant (as well as immanent)? And does is not refer to God in anthropomorphic terms, only for the sake of making it easier to understand God better? If the answer to those questions is 'yes', then in these two instances Reconstructionism is fairly traditional.

seconding Mina's point, sort of

Author: Ellen (---.as9.nwbl0.wi.voyager.net)
Date: 10-12-01 12:36

Aviva:

Hebrew is learnable, no matter what your age. There are books and classes available wherever in any Jewish community. Why not check them out? It may seem hard at first, but with practice, you can do it!

I'm not sure where you got the idea that Judaism prays to God as to a human. That is such an inaccurate stereotype, common to people who haven't had any contact with religion since they were children. Mina is right that there are Reconstructionists who have a non-transcendant concept of God, but the anthropomorphic conception isn't the rule anywhere else, either. There may be some metaphorical language in prayer, but you find that in all poetry. There are some prayers that speak of wings, and I've never met a human being with wings; have you? If you ask anyone in a Conservative or Orthodox synagogue if s/he believes in an anthropomorphic God, I'm sure you'll discover that such stereotypes seem as ridiculous to them as they do to you. The added bonus is that going to Conservative or Orthodox synagogues can help you learn more Hebrew. With the high holidays over, you don't need a ticket to get into any synagogue, so shop around. Visit a few. Talk to the rabbis. Make friends with members. You should be able to find a synagogue that's right for you, or at least good enough for a start.

Reconstructionism

Author: Mina (---.piscataway-08rh16rt.nj.dial-access.att.net)
Date: 10-16-01 11:20

Hi, Ellen, Bryce, and Aviva! I don't claim to be an expert on Jewish theology, so I'm responding based on my understandings.

Ellen, I totally agree with you. All Judaism, as I understand it, rejects an anthropomorphic God (in the narrowest meaning of that term, anyway). God is limitless, and certainly isn't an old man on a throne. However, there are some other beliefs that have attached to a traditional conception of God that are probably what a lot of people mean by anthropomorphic (and I guess I assumed were part of what Aviva was talking about). The one that comes to mind for me is the idea of an interventionist God, i.e. one who reaches down and shapes human events (e.g. warns people not to get on airplanes that end up crashing, rewards the good, punishes the bad). I definitely think that many Conservative and Reform Jews reject ideas such as these. However, it's my understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong) that the movements as such do not explicitly reject them. Reconstructionism historically has done so, although there is certainly debate within Reconstructionism about God, there are a lot of people at Recon. synagogues who aren't Reconstructionists, and the boundaries of the movement are shifting all the time. In short, it's your standard evolving, blurred boundaries religious movement, but in my view, there's still "a there there," to quote Gertrude Stein.

I am very comfortable in a Conservative shul myself and enjoy being at almost any kind of Jewish service, although my preference -- for a number of reasons, including what I describe above -- is a Reconstructionist congregation when possible. I think picking a congregation is about a lot of different things. It seems to me that for somebody like Aviva, who has the strong convictions that she does, Reconstructionism is definitely something to look into, although other places could work for her too.

Reconstructionism

Author: Mina (---.piscataway-08rh16rt.nj.dial-access.att.net)
Date: 10-16-01 11:25

Whoops, just one more thing. I did want to say in response to Ellen's comment that Reconstructionist services do use a lot of Hebrew too (although definitely not as much as an Orthodox or Conservadox service). I was raised in a Conservative shul, so I have a basis of comparison There is in general a heavy emphasis at Reconstructionist congregations on adult education, so I think it can provide a good educational experience too.

Rconstructionists

Author: Ellen (---.as21.nwbl0.wi.voyager.net)
Date: 10-16-01 11:58

Mina:

Even though I just joined a Conservative congregation, I have always thought of myself as a Reconstructionist, and, in fact, am planning to attend Reconstructionist services this coming Saturday morning. I agree with you that the lines between denominations are often very fuzzy, with everyone making personal choices based on different considerations. The main reason I wrote what I did, aside from feeling the need to defend Judaism as a whole from the misconceptions Aviva expressed, is that in my experience (at least with my local group) Reconstructionist services differ so much from week to week. Sometimes the service is more traditional with lots of Hebrew, and sometimes it's more "new agey" with lots of English. My former Conservative congregation was much more consistent and predictable from week to week and probably would provide a better environment for someone wanting to learn what the standard prayer practices are.

I was very impressed by your comments to Jan on the other board.

Message 24

Author: Mina (---.mercerville-13-14rs.nj.dial-access.att.net)
Date: 10-16-01 13:00

Got it, and I agree. Reconstructionist services vary much more -- from week to week *and* place to place.

And thanks for your last comment.

Spiritual Journey

Author: FredBluestone (---.212.188.171.Dial1.Miami1.Level3.net)
Date: 11-15-01 12:09

FRIENDS,

As I read the submittals, I am truly amazed that weR not happy unless (or
until) we R placed in some sort a a theoloically-defined box, i.e., "I used 2 B Orthodox, now I'm Reform". What U personaly believe and whether or not your spiritual needs R being met is not germaine; rather, what is germaine is your ability 2 B defined. We ain't got time 4 G-D (U just may remember HIM); however, we do have time to play Webster, not as in "WWW, but as in dictionary.

This is the kind of B/S that is turning off Judaism 2 so many young people, with it's conform-2-our-definition-of-who-U-should-B-as-we don't-really-care-about-your personal-spiritual-journey attitude!

From another vantage point, everyone on Planet Earth is having a spiritual jnourney! Y do U think we R here? ...do U believe that HE put us here 4 no reason? Wait a minute; these R the questions that our rabbis should B helping us answer, i.e., assisting us on our spiritual journies! ...and not worrying about "who is aJew & whether I'm Orthodox or Reform ...G-D does NOTcare, nor does the Grim Reaper!

Author: Bryce (---.mpowercom.net)
Date: 11-15-01 13:00

Fred, our goal here on this site is not 'to be happy', but to clarify some important issues. Clarifying where we stand wrt our Jewish status is NOT the same as putting ourselves in a box. You're right Fred, it is frustrating; only 15 years ago, this whole conversation about who is a Jew would rarely happen (except with converts) because SOME movement's leaders decided to fiddle with the definition. I, too would like to move onto a 'spiritual topic', but I'd still wish you'd settle in your mind a good definition of "who is a Jew". It seems like you're minimizing the importance of this question by saying how annoying it is.

And to definitively say that God does not care about this issue is saying that you've asked Him and received an answer.

What percentage of our rabbis are you accusing of worrying about our status to the exclusion of our spirituality? It sounds like you think it is 100%. Nothing you've written at this site implies otherwise.

Hey, I'm willing to brush this topic under the rug for now, too. Now, how about you and I come up with a really spiritual topic to discuss on these boards?

reply 2 bryce (#27)

Author: FredBluestone (---.212.189.254.Dial1.Miami1.Level3.net)
Date: 11-15-01 17:35

BRYCE

U R correct, my family's experiences with rabbis doesn't make a very pleasant reading; moreover,my own personal prejuduces R showing. Please understand that I've seen so many Jews fall away from the Faith that when I C an obvious (at least 2 me) explanation, I render it a bit too strongly!

On the other hand, I believe that religion is about answering the unanswer-able questions ...and religion IS ABOUT HAVING FUN. Let me put it this way (and I know I'm not gonna B politically correct): I truly believe that G-D put us upon this Earth in order 2: GROW (learn), WORSHIP(praise) HIM & HAVE FUN! Yes, doing
SHABBAT (including servcies) should B FUN (& hard work at the same time). The irony is that when we all challanging eachother's lineage, we ain't having fun, only
"tzouris".

I apologise 2 whomever may B offended, but it's time 4 Judaism 2 B FUN & G-D-centered AT THE SAME TIME! We R Americans, We R JEWS & We R blessed!
AND (this is critcal) I'd rather skip the "who-is-a-Jew" debate & include a possibly "goishe" child ...and accept HIS wrath, than 2 reject the child and inflict an un-erasable hurt.

Author: mpfreed (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 11-16-01 10:26

Fred is right. We Jews are supposed to worship G-d with joy. This is particularly emphasised in Chassidism. On reflection, that may be a different concept from Fred's 'fun' thing !

Winding path

Author: Moshe "Shai" Bender (---.clovis.cc.nm.us)
Date: 11-19-01 12:22

Hello to everyone.

First, let me wish everyone well.

My name is Moshe "Shai" Bender ben Avraham Avienu. I am always working to become a better Torah-observant Jew. (Please don't misread Torah-observant as an opportunity to attack - it has meaning and emphasis to me).

Let me qualify myself - I am not a teacher, scholar, or rabbi - so anything I say can be in error - even though I do have an education.

I guess like many - my faith has waxed and waned over time. I can even say that I have even been held captive by error and foreign ideas. Not hard in a secular environment or the military. But I always seem to come back to the core of basic Jewish belief and ideals.

I live in a rather remote area of the US and would welcome any correspondence with fellow Jews.

Shai

shaibender@yahoo.com

Ignore, this is just a test.

Author: Iff editor (---.ne.mediaone.net)
Date: 12-18-01 10:55

Ignore, this is just a test.

A Letter from Israel

Author: miri (---.rlz.netvision.net.il)
Date: 01-22-02 03:39

Dear friends,
A Letter from Israel is a biweekly newsletter
published both in English and in Hebrew.
It is drafted, and designed as a personal letter
for Israelis and Jews living around the world
that wish out of home sickness, nostalgia,
acquaintance, familial relations, loving and
caring for Israel and its people, to keep in
touch with the every day concerns and nuances
of living in Israel.
Please visit and enjoy.
Shalom from Israel

www.newsletter-israel.com

Author: Benjamin (---.rasserver.net)
Date: 01-23-02 21:59

This is a link I just found to a really touching and delightful story about one woman's journey to embracing Judaism. Regardless of where one falls in the Jewish spectrum, this is a truly meaningful account of the spiritual dimensions of Judaism.

http://www.aish.com/spirituality/odysseys/For_Myself3_A_New_History.asp

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Author: Ronnie Friedland (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 02-14-02 11:16

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