tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.comments2023-02-12T11:24:51.785-05:00Migdalor Guy's New BlogMigdalor Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14343484923710511769noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-31836063705601801842019-01-10T21:53:54.799-05:002019-01-10T21:53:54.799-05:00To my favorite gadfly:
It is NOT your job to strip...To my favorite gadfly:<br />It is NOT your job to strip the emperor.<br />However, if he's already naked, you should say something about it.<br />If that's annoying, so be it.<br />(Though perhaps you'll want to be across town before you report on the emperor's fashion choices. Just in case.)<br /><br />Seriously, when you're being a gadfly for the sake of improving the world, you always run the risk of annoying those who benefit from keeping things as they are. Are the risks inherent in pissing off the emperor worth it? Only you can decide.<br />More and more, I think they are.<br /><br />Bravo!bikelovejoneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16141991025526354179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-14972159439878784552018-01-13T14:06:44.142-05:002018-01-13T14:06:44.142-05:00Adrian I am always delighted with your writing and...Adrian I am always delighted with your writing and persuasion skills!<br />Re the current president and children watching: I have found as a parent and an educator that this time we live in is an excellent example to share with children that there is a difference between the role and the person that fills the role. Ideally of course, we would want people of respect filling roles of respect, but that is not always the case. In the current situation, the person sitting in that role's chair is entirely unfit for the role. In many other circumstances, the person filling a role may be mostly great and even great at the role, but still has skeletons in their closet and still isn't the picture of a perfect human being, because of course that doesn't actually exist. Which is an important piece of learning for young people: to understand that humans are human and we all make mistakes. The current president just makes them constantly and rather grossly.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06676464701782545405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-68102054839440838072016-12-23T15:05:28.245-05:002016-12-23T15:05:28.245-05:00Adrian I love all of this! Always good to remembe...Adrian I love all of this! Always good to remember that though we may chuckle at the Santa Claus stories, we have our own myths that are so obviously chuckle worthy as well. And the miracle in the coming days will be that we light-loving people will be able to rise above our pedantic nit-picking to create one unified light...banu hoshech ligaresh.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06676464701782545405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-72807151461865657592015-09-15T09:40:48.869-04:002015-09-15T09:40:48.869-04:001) "Sometimes, the text itself is my teacher...1) "Sometimes, the text itself is my teacher in spite of myself." I find that inspiring and/or consoling, as I tend to get slogged up going from level to level of understanding.<br /><br />2) "And that is including children, wives, and strangers dwelling among us. [but] ... understanding is open to all Jews, be they Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, secular, et al."<br /><br />I COULD read that to include "Messianic Jews" and Christians and Rastafarians and non-Jews who live like Jews, or I could read that to be open to Jews alone. The first makes my flesh crawl, but the second smacks of "Jews are Chosen and special".<br /><br />I get nervous about BOTH of them, to be honest. What do you think?Eliezer Pennywhistlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16469232265240590515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-75327719859919793052015-06-21T11:01:45.791-04:002015-06-21T11:01:45.791-04:00Available through the Library ofCongress, "Ou...Available through the Library ofCongress, "Our Racist Presidents" gives insight as to why slaves were freed and what Lincoln really thought about them.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031823842241102606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-26769520601683565392015-03-21T21:08:37.883-04:002015-03-21T21:08:37.883-04:00"an unblemished gift is one in which the give..."an unblemished gift is one in which the giver's intentions are open, without blemish, known" Amen, and thank you.Deborah Smith-Cohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07615540832535093822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-35935552745309067962014-04-26T02:30:40.452-04:002014-04-26T02:30:40.452-04:00such a wonderful discover -- cannot wait around to...such a wonderful discover -- cannot wait around to determine that which you 2 develop!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://fifa14.mmo18.com/" rel="nofollow">cheap fifa 14 coins</a><br /><a href="http://lol.mmo18.com/" rel="nofollow">elo boosting service</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00360295547199367588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-7970960176281735192013-12-06T08:32:49.342-05:002013-12-06T08:32:49.342-05:00These are my thoughts this morning after some pers...These are my thoughts this morning after some perspective. I posted on Facebook.<br /><br />After watching The Sound of Music again (yes I sat through it again for critical perspective) here are my opinions if you care.<br /><br />1. Carrie Underwood can sing. Really, sing. She was so much more comfortable when the music was on. Her movements, her demeanour, everything worked so much better to music. Her acting was extraordinarily weak, to the point of even noticeably glancing at the teleprompter several times. But...she got better as the show went on as she relaxed. Live theatre is incredibly difficult and I give her props for the effort, but taking a beginner's acting class in front of millions of people was probably not a great idea.<br />2. I think that she has potential, but her costar Stephen Moyer was stiff and his voice weak. And he is the professional actor. I've never watched True Blood but I hope that his fans were satisfied. I wasn't. His Captain was seriously maudlin and lacking in charisma and his rendition of Edleweiss was tremendously disappointing.<br />3. The kids were ok. Really. Not bad at all. Especially the young man who played Kurt. <br />4. The rest of the cast was stellar as I expected, especially Audra McDonald who literally laid me flat out with Climb Ev'ry Mountain. Stunning. Christian Borle and Laura Benanti were also excellent. Their experience on stage was so obvious and necessary to the workings of the show.<br />5. My greatest issues were with the production values. While the set was well-done the sound was brutal. Microphones and background noise were so intrusive I found some parts almost unwatchable. The underscore was so loud it actually drowned out the Mother Abbess at the end. This is live TV and NBC blew it badly. The direction of the camera angles was too jaunty at times but it settled during the second act. Honestly, the Oscar telecast is more professional.<br />6. I think that the entire production and cast would have fared better if it had been done in front of a live audience in studio. As well as live orchestra might have helped too. Stage performers thrive off of the energy of direct contact with an audience and it was glaringly missing. Carrie Underwood was at her best when other people were reacting to her voice and you could see that she loved it. <br />7. I have very few issues with the actual changes from the film. I expected them and knew what was coming. This was not a remake, but rather a re-staging of the original play. If you want to get technical, the film is the remake. The show actually flows better in its original form.<br /><br />All in all, it was disappointing. I almost turned it off after Audra's big moment but I persevered. My greatest concern is that this middling effort has turned people off of live musical theatre for television for a while, and that would be the biggest shame of all. Please don't let this production discourage you. PBS has done some wonderful telecasts of live performances. Check out Carousel, Oklahoma, and Light in the Piazza. All excellent. And weird as I am...I just might watch it again. I told you that I need professional help when it comes to The Sound of Music.Dawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13377990352000842532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-28763073405198070882013-10-12T18:38:35.887-04:002013-10-12T18:38:35.887-04:00Another beautiful, thought provoking post, Adrian....Another beautiful, thought provoking post, Adrian. Thanks. I'd like to know more about the origin of the traditions of midrash that tell us Terach was a maker of stone idols and a polytheist ... and that Abram looked at the sun ("saw the light") and smashed those idols! Nowhere that I can find is this hinted at in the text. It seems to come from the minds of the rabbis! E.g., after all, G"d had to have some good reason to command Abram (who also had to have some compelling reason) to leave his father after they'd moved to CHaran and been there four or five decades, when Terach was very old (To abandon one's father at that age would be shirking the duties of a good son, such abandonment shows disrespect of the father which is forbidden, so there had to be a strong "reason"); so that if T was made out to be an "idol worshipper," that is, the usual product of his place and time, this was as good a reason as any to separate Abram from all the surrounding tribes, and make a really good lesson on one-ness of G"d. In what line(s) do we learn of Abram's radical, revolutionary monotheism? Can you shed any light; do you have additional insight on this question that otherwise we seem to take for granted? JZohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03290020307933227190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-52338796292215381012013-08-16T15:38:35.673-04:002013-08-16T15:38:35.673-04:00Even though I have never seen the program you quot...Even though I have never seen the program you quoted, or any of that series, I found your words thought-provoking and helpful! Thank you, Adrian. I do wonder, though, whether there is some ancient wisdom to be found in primitive societies' handling of people in these grey areas of sexual identity. Basically, they're put to death, without remorse, swiftly, as sheer aberrations. They're taken out of the gene pool. Too many like this, and the tribal group would lose numbers, would not be victorious in war or hunting or other activities relying on manly bravery and bravado. The womenfolk, if allowed to venture into manly activities, would tend to ignore their roles as childbearers, educators and homemakers and passers of the culture and ethos, endangering future generations to growing up on the wild, untamed side. I can see definite role designations as guarantors of the continuation of a tribe, a people, a culture, a religion. This view is purely pragmatic, utilitarian, and essential for survival. It is totally lacking in mercy, sentimentalism, and celebration of the individual for his/her particular characteristics, for just 'being him/herself, knowing and celebrating that who he/she is'. Would that not be considered vanity, after all?JZohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03290020307933227190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-65584386967530693432013-06-28T20:53:32.267-04:002013-06-28T20:53:32.267-04:00Once again, very thought provoking. Thank you!
I...Once again, very thought provoking. Thank you! <br /><br />I learned that there are only two categories of circumstances under current Jewish Law where it is permissible to kill another human being:<br /><br />1) A person is under a presumed duty to defend and preserve one's own life and immediate interests; thus you are allowed to defend also your lives of your family members, and the viability of your Jewish community from attack from without, by anyone. You may kill if your life is threatened by another who is an enemy in time of war or an attack against your home or your city or country (of course this didn't exist at the time the laws were compiled as Halakha) as in a "terrorist attack", and<br /> <br />2) it is permissible to kill a fellow Jew if that Jew is about to commit, or is in the process of committing treachery against his Jewish community, a treason that would undermine, threaten, jeopardize and endanger the survival of the community as a whole. <br /><br />This was learned while taking a course in Jewish Law (in comparison to Islamic Law and to U.S. Law, seen through the prism of multiple contentious legal issues) at Hebrew Univ., Mt. Scopus. It's not only possible but likely that I am not remembering this accurately in its entirety, as it was 17 years ago, so I would be pleased if someone would correct me where I have forgotten or may have gotten it wrong... or even, perhaps, to acknowledge that I remembered this correctly!<br /><br />In weighing these instances against their source material, including the parasha under discussion and others that also deal with retributive death, vigilante killings and death punishment from the One-On-High, the various killings we encounter in the Torah show a grand moral metamorphosis in death penalty approach. I think you've nailed it in your musings this week.<br /><br />We've learned initially that we are our brother's keeper, and after that, for punishment, it was all over the map. Jacob rightfully (at the time) feared for his life at the hand of Esau, because of Jacob's taking for himself (stealing, for a bowl of red pottage) the right to the birthright, compiled by further trickery by hairy vestment to receive the blind Isaac's blessing. What older, entitled son wouldn't be mad enough to kill? Jacob had fences to mend, as he knew he and his sons had miles to go. <br /><br />Aaron's sons handled G"d's fire glibly and got swallowed up. It was a Man to G"d matter. The later cases are about man to man matters. Death for crimes against "G"d" remain G"d's job apparently. There's another religion born in the desert that relegates the death squad job to willing zealots, condoned by approving mullas. I'm so glad Judaism clearly excluded that genre of man-meted-out punishment.JZohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03290020307933227190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-20256169171613395102012-04-20T14:14:22.821-04:002012-04-20T14:14:22.821-04:00During my semester in Israel (oh so many years ago...During my semester in Israel (oh so many years ago!) it was suggested that we call collect from "Annie Ohevet."Lisa Ann Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17362726721044954985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-30567510802114729392011-12-26T22:12:02.381-05:002011-12-26T22:12:02.381-05:00equitalYou leave me laughing with this one! Well d...equitalYou leave me laughing with this one! Well done, Adrian.Petro Business Services, Inchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05145241539833779337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-2697597381655986002011-10-15T14:49:06.282-04:002011-10-15T14:49:06.282-04:00Living in our Succah in Kfar Etzion is exquisite. ...Living in our Succah in Kfar Etzion is exquisite. The weather has been beautiful. Eating with the family in our wooden shelter covered with bamboo and date leaves, sleeping under the stars reminds us of our ties to G-d, Eretz Yisrael, the Desert trek to freedom and our family ties. All this after our return to G-d during the High Holidays! Modern man needs to renew his ties with his G-d, his people, his land and his family!ראובן ורברhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01402854833027152217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-32785407586160177862010-11-12T16:39:18.547-05:002010-11-12T16:39:18.547-05:00ONice. On my journey I'm reading Arthur Green&...ONice. On my journey I'm reading Arthur Green's "Radical Judaism" thanks for underscoring the idea of divine geography.God is in this place...Peter Ecksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08259821085010212966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-26521064752144005212010-01-03T13:59:49.185-05:002010-01-03T13:59:49.185-05:00Hey Adrian,
Good luck in what comes next. I hope...Hey Adrian,<br /><br />Good luck in what comes next. I hope you're having fun doing what you're doing now. I hope you are still growing. I hope to read more of your thoughts in the cloud.<br /><br />Thanks for your wisdom.<br /><br />PeterPeter Ecksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08259821085010212966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-58471965699605408672010-01-03T06:41:30.600-05:002010-01-03T06:41:30.600-05:00Adrian,
I hope you don't mind that I cross pos...Adrian,<br />I hope you don't mind that I cross posted to your blog entry which I found to be very powerful and troubling. http://bryfy.net/?p=357 <br /><br />Good Luck and don't give up the search.<br /><br />ps I am not as optimistic as homeshulingBJENY-SAJES and JESNA's Lippman Kanfer Institutehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06317730322028540146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-66292762622163669752010-01-02T16:45:05.931-05:002010-01-02T16:45:05.931-05:00I'm sure you know that if you were in a larger...I'm sure you know that if you were in a larger Jewish community (and in any reasonable version of our economy) you would be fully employed. That's not to say you wouldn't still be struggling or searching...I think that's normal. Judaism is a lifelong relationship, like family, and it makes sense that what you need from it (and perhaps what it needs from you) isn't static.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-19882900321147025022010-01-01T18:45:54.670-05:002010-01-01T18:45:54.670-05:00Thank you Adrian!
I often struggle with the same ...Thank you Adrian!<br /><br />I often struggle with the same issues and wonder about living bachazara ba'aretz. :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04828596352883848433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-7042068119753273372009-12-01T13:06:54.722-05:002009-12-01T13:06:54.722-05:00This was a really interesting post. I was especial...This was a really interesting post. I was especially interested in the way that the haggadah has changed so much but still remains essentially the same. Perhaps assimilation allowed Jews over time to adapt their rituals so that while they look different they remain the same at their heart. Or perhaps it was a religious determination of a seemingly eternal people motivated to keep their covenant with the Creator. <br /><br />Either way there are some signs to reclaiming thanksgiving, Shawn Landres passed this link onto me through twitter after my initial post: http://freedomsfeast.us/<br /><br />I think it is a great exercise to think about Thanksgiving and design a service around it and then apply those same principles to looking at the way Jewish services or rituals, like the Seder, are designed. It could be a great exercise for Jewish class of any age to learn more about how the services are constructed while simultaneously learning about the elements of a great educational experience. <br /><br />@Phil_BrodskyDr. Dreidelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02452161367929867575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-81956449746996609752009-08-06T02:13:45.027-04:002009-08-06T02:13:45.027-04:00I'll bring this up at the next sisterhood meet...I'll bring this up at the next sisterhood meeting.Petro Business Services, Inchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05145241539833779337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-56070678041746598612009-07-30T20:56:08.119-04:002009-07-30T20:56:08.119-04:00Reading your post reminded me of when I was a chil...Reading your post reminded me of when I was a child and could count on being at the end of the line when the teacher would tell us to line up with the tallest at the front of the line and the shortest at the back. I was always at the end of the line, with two boys who were also pretty short. So we made ourselves into a club. We called ourselves The Micro-organisms. I suspect, though don't specifically remember, that I suggested the name, since my father was a microbiologist and of the three of us I was the one that would have been most likely to have that word in my vocabulary. We even had a song celebrating our micro-organism status. At my full, adult female height of a smidgen under 5'4" I'm still not tall. People have made jokes about my short stature for as long as I can remember, have used me as arm rests and such. But no one has called me a midget and of course being a short female probably isn't as much of a liability as being a short male. Anyway, I enjoyed your post.Nina westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02407622765493046863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-58130541919341493802009-07-25T13:22:22.530-04:002009-07-25T13:22:22.530-04:00Pashut m'hammem! todah Adrian for sharing you...Pashut m'hammem! todah Adrian for sharing your insights. Confusion is indeed a part of life, and koheleth puts it into perspective, but perhaps those who have too great a portion could be consumed - confused to death - by it. Don't go there! with mild confusion, shabbat shalom! WZJZohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03290020307933227190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-64577012475547289392009-07-05T14:07:41.108-04:002009-07-05T14:07:41.108-04:00Thanks so much for posting this! Used it as the ba...Thanks so much for posting this! Used it as the basis for my Torah study on Shabbat entitled "Choose your battles wisely..." We went through all the places in Chukat-Balak where there are battles we are counseled to pursue (e.g., vigilant search for Red Hefers...) and other battles it might be best to let slide (e.g., cursing the Jews for money...). Made for a great thinking discussion...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18058293811792623956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34338525034437330.post-30897213008872769842009-07-05T14:06:06.541-04:002009-07-05T14:06:06.541-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18058293811792623956noreply@blogger.com