Decision

Well folks, here it is: I'm moving to Boston! What I will be doing there? Unclear. But I picked a city and I feel good about it. It is the in between, the going back and forth that has really been driving me crazy. I made the decision 48 hours ago and have been walking around smiling ever since--thats a good sign, right?

Only 2 more days left at Pardes. Thursday afternoon I jump on a bus to Tsfat for our second staff training weekend for Nesiya. I will be there until Sunday evening when I return to Jerusalem. Then, bright and early Monday I (along with Jenny, Max and Annie) will be on my way to the airport destination GREECE!

We have been planning the trip for a while and I am SO excited it is finally here. Our general game plan is as follows:
We arrive in Athens in the early afternoon. We will spend the night and the following day there before jumping aboard a ferry boat that will take us down to Santorini Island. We will be on Santorini for a total of 3 days with one night spent on the island of Ios. Then we head to Naxos for 2 days before heading back for our final night in Athens to catch our flight the next morning back to Tel Aviv. Whew!! If any of you have spent anytime in/on these places and have so me advice or 'must dos' I would appreciate it!

You most likely will not be hearing from me again until mid-June when I return but I promise a large post with photos!

Hope those of you on the west side of the ocean had a lovely memorial day weekend!

Nearing the End

This morning will mark my last Sunday at Pardes. Classes will run through Thursday and then the Academic year will be over. It is hard to believe so much time has passed. I have moved out of my apartment and will be crashing with a friend for the next month before starting my job as a bus counselor for Nesiya July 1.

I have been thinking a lot about what should come next, each day my heart seems to be motivating me back and forth between two different options. Do I stay here or do I move to Boston? Each are good choices, I just have to choose one.

The Unexpected

"It never rains in Israel past Passover", He said. "Not since I can remember".


Well, he was wrong. To everyones surprise I has been raining here quite a bit. Including a thunderstorm today. I have actually found it to be quite refreshing. The end of the Pardes year is looming. I have had to say goodbye to both my roomates, and I am still trying to figure out where I will be come late August.

This year has been wonderful. I have grown so much, learned a ton, and have made lifelong friends. It is hard to believe that May is almost over and 10 months have flown by so quickly.

I am still crazy as ever, but having so much on my plate has given me some distraction from the emotional goodbyes. I leave for a 3 day trip with my fellow Nesiya staff tomorrow morning. We are leaving bright and early for Mitzpe Ramon (Ramon Crater) where we will camp overnight and then spend Shabbat in the Negev (desert). By the end of the weekend the senior staff will have decided how to place us in teams for the summer. For me this is the most exciting part. There are 12 of us, 4 staff (2 Americans and 2 Israelis) per bus. Everyone is great, but it will be nice to have a smaller group to start planning and really investing.

I am also looking forward to getting out of Jerusalem. I have been doing a little better in this department-but not by much. A couple of weekends ago I was up in a Druze Village near Acco called Pekiin. It is well known for its co-existence between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It is also the only place that has constantly been inhabited by Jews (with a brief lapse in the late 1930-1940s for fear of rioting from nearby Arab villages) since the destruction of the Second Temple. I have also made it out to Tel Aviv for some recreation and Hebron for some education. I hope to share more about my experience in Hebron at a later date, but I'm still processing it all.

It is Yom Yerushalyim today marking the 40th anniversary of the Six Day War. It was during the war that Israel defended itself against the Egyptian, Syrian, Lebonese and Jordanian armies. It also unified Jerusalem and were able to take control over the Jewish quarter of the old city and the Kotel (Western Wall). Doing so gave access to Holy sites previously forbidden to Jews. Last night I got caught in the parade (literally) dodging tractors, agricultural floats, and dancing children to make it to my volunteering shift.

I know I haven't written in ages, apologies have almost become standard in my posts. But I hope whomever is reading that life is treating you well and I look forward to hearing all about it!

83

I have been meaning to write for a while...and suprise, i got busy. Life is good, last week was jammed packed with emotion--Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtznmaut (Israel Independence Day). It made me realize the tension between feeling a part of the people/culture here and feeling distant all at the same time. Yom HaAtzmaut was the perfect day! I would write more...but i'm too tired. For pictures visit the bottom right link to Flickr.

Efforts have stepped up in training for this summer. I will be staffing a six week summer program with Nesiya. So as a collective staff of 16 (to be broken into groups of 4--2 Americans and 2 Israeli staff on every bus) we are meeting at least once a week until the end of June.

I hit the streets again last thursday night. The 2 am mornings have somewhat screwed with my sleeping pattern for the rest of the week. But I am telling you, the experiences have been worth it.

Amongst the crazy I have also been carving out a time for play. I scored a whopping 83 points in one turn of Scrabble on Shabbat afternoon--a new high for me! I even beat out an active player in the Jerusalem Scrabble Club. The word was Blissed (yes, it is the dictionary) on a triple word score connecting Pe and Od across. Maybe I should quit while I am ahead...

I also booked my tickets for Greece. I will be going with friends for one last hoorah from June 4-12. If anyone has any travel advice for the area I would love to hear it!

Thats all for now, hope to post more both in length and content in the near future!

Colored Skies

I arrived back in Israel Monday afternoon. A painless flight and sherut ride later, I found myself back at 4 Mendele. When I walked into my apartment I got kinda an eerie sensation. The kind you would get when your finals stretched til the last possible day but that more than half then dorm had already cleared out. Although we are all still here, it is only for a few more short weeks. Both Sarahs will be gone by mid-May.

That feeling has continued through the rest of my week. Pardes students have begun to drop off and before I know it my life here will be changing.

On Tuesday we had orange skies. Sands from the desert blown North by the strong winds created somewhat of a textured rain. Not wet, but hazy. In fact, haziness was quite appropriate for our general moods as well. Hearing of the shootings at Virginia Tech and all the victims...I heard the news the night before at my friend Jessy's birthday dinner. Her sister, a Virginia Tech student, called in hysterics. Luckily, She and her friends are okay. My thoughts go out to those who were less fortunate.

The warm weather I was hoping for (after snow and floods on the East Coast) has not quite arrived. But the longer days allow me to once again walk home in the sunshine, even at 7pm.

I went out on the streets last night with Crossroads, and it was a really interesting experience. Unfortunately, due to confidentiality I can't share too much. But I look forward to continuing my work with them.

Today the skies are blue and clouds fluffy white. The wind has somewhat tamed itself and warmer weather is expected for the weekend. I was at brunch with a friend when we saw four fighter jets stream across the sky. I think the image made everyone around us pause. It could be they were practicing for the upcoming Memorial Day this Sunday night and Monday, I hope so.

Heading East

It is both a strange and natural feeling I have each time I prepare for another trip.
For the past two years they were trips across the country, more recently across the ocean. Being home this time around has made me feel the distance that much more.

My brother is on his way over to pick me up so we can have coffee before he drops me at the train. Then it is off to Newark International Airport, a short stop over in London and back to Tel Aviv.

I am excited to get back, see friends and begin school again. This next month is the beginning of the end. For me, that is a hard realityBy the end of May my roomates will be gone, many of my friends will have travelled back to the states and I will begin my next chapter in Israel. I will also know if that chapter will conclude in August or continue on. I will make sure to keep you all posted.

Photos of Ayelet aka Tarni

Ready for More?? Visit www.flickr.com/photos/shirahrosin

Quick Update from the Homefront

The trip in wasn't easy. El Al got us to JFK 2 hours late, add on an additional 1.5 hours for baggage to arrive and you get a missed flight to Washington D.C. After running back and forth through the airport with all my luggage to find out this wonderful news I called home. My call was greeted by the news that my Mom was having a procedure on her back the next day for a slipped disc and that I should be prepared to hit the ground running. After some tears in the airport I was able to get El Al to put me up in a hotel for the night. I was in bed by 12:30 and back at the airport 6 hours later. After waiting in line for 1/2 hour I was told that there were no flights available from JFK to the D.C./Maryland area and that they would book me on a flight from LaGuardia. I was handed an itinerary and pointed in the direction of the taxis. I made it across town to LaGuardia where I was told that the flight may not be possible since I had not reported the flight as missed the night before and that I was marked as a no show. After explaining my story and situation the woman took pity and I was booked. I landed in Maryland at 2pm.

It was nice to be home for Shabbat. I slept, and slept and slept and slept. Something I had not done much of the previous 48 hours.

Sunday, after all the pre-Passover cleaning and shopping had been done, I met Ayelet. She is amazing.

Monday morning I went to the Apple store to find out what could be done for my computer and my now dead iPod. I was told that they could replace the piece where my computer adapter had jammed for $145 and that they would replace my iPod with the same 20gb model for $69. So, for less than what a new iPod would cost me, I am all set--good news!!

I also cooked and prepared my first ever Seders, spent lots of time with baby Ayelet, played a few games of the Settlers of Catan, and got to spend some time with old friends from high school. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my week doing similar things. Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday) to all!

Heading West

My Sherut (shuttle service) come in about 45 minutes to take me to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. I am VERY excited to be coming back west, even if just for a few weeks. I hit the shuk (open air market) this morning at about 7am-the earliest I have ever been there. It is getting warm and most of the vendors were out with their produce, baked goods, and everything else on display. I look forward to even warmer weather and Israeli 'summer time' when I return.

For those of you who are going to be in the D.C./Maryland area be in touch! it would be great to see you in the next couple of weeks: shrosin@gmail.com

Over the Green Line

Ten years ago I held a dream of making Aliyah (moving to Israel) and living in an area called Gush Etzion (an area over the green line just outside of Jerusalem first founded in 1946 but since highly developed). Thursday I spent the night in the home of a Palestinian in Beit Sahour, a town adjacent to Bethlehem.

I travelled with a group called Encounters. The program promotes that it provides a slice of Palestinian life to future Jewish educators, Rabbis and community leaders. I am not going to pretend that I understand the political situation any more now that I participated on Encounters, but I do feel that I was shown a 'slice' which is more exposure then I have ever had before.

Since I am still processing all of my thoughts and emotions from the experience I can't fully share what I am feeling. It is not my place to impose judgement on either side nor try to convince you of any political opinions. But I hope that through sharing some of my thoughts I am able to open you up to some questions as I am challenging myself.

We were exposed to a number of voices and opinions during our time in Bethlehem. We visited mostly with people and organizations that promote a non-violent approach to ending occupation. Encounters works very closely with a Palestinian organization called the Holyland Trust which does just that. It was very interesting to hear about the conflict from their end. I have chatted before with Palestinians on college campuses but never before in a constructive matter in the heart of Bethlehem.

Some of the places we went and people we met were:
The Hope Flower School--a co-ed K-12 school for Muslim and Christian children committed to education without messages of violent and hate. Students come from a variety of homes and backgrounds including refugee camps and upper class neighborhoods. Any child who opts to attend is allowed to come. They get their funding not by the PA but by private donations and NGOs.
The Tent of Nations: Land owned by a Palestinian named Dauad Nasser. Family has been living there since 1911 and has kept all paperwork. He has converted the family home into a grounds that runs that aims to build bridges of understanding and peace. Dauad wants Palestinians and Israelis to think in a constructive way. Face to face interactions are what need to be the foundation for this peace. The Tent of Nations creates the framework to do this. They have held tree plantings, run summer camps for kids from refugee camps, Bethlehem, Hebron and surrounding areas. He hopes to give encouragement to youth that they are valuable, respected and have a reason worth living. Unfortunately we take this ideas for granted, they are not inherent in everyone. For Dauad it is important to realize that there are people and ideas on the 'other side'. The 'other side' for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Throughout the next 2 days we heard from many speakers. We also visited with members of the Al Walaje village. Some of the villagers have had their homes demolished, others have demolition declerations pending. There we were guided by an Israeli man naed Meir Margalit who works with the Israeli Coalition against Home Demolitions. It was a lot to take in.

I am going to share just a few memorable quotes from the 2 days. Some resonate with me, some make my insides turn. I will let you read them and see which affect you. Please also look at my Encounters:Bethlehem album on my flickr site-www.flickr.com/photos/shirahrosin to see some of their faces and the things they described.

"Even if they say non-violent communication does not work, it is what we do-because it is the only thing we can do"--Elias Holy Land Trust

"Walls paint ignorance and fear. I could accept a wall, but let them build it on the Green line of 1967"--Elias Holy Land Trust

"I don't want to think negatively, instead I want to invest my frustrations in a positive way"--Dauad Nasser Tent of Nations

"We must respect each other, trust each other. To reach each other we must speak out and listen to one another. We must forgive each other."--George Sa'adeh Principle of Greek Shepherds High School at Beit Sahour, Bereaved Families Forum--Lost Daughter as a result of Israeli army mistaking his car for a Hamas vehicle and opening fire; Deputy Mayor of Bethlehem

"It is nice that you are here, but you will forget about us tomorrow"--Joni Resident of Beit Sahour

"Everytime Israel bulldozes a house we destroy Jewish ethics. I hear Yirmiyahu (the prophet) crying out: ENOUGH!!"--Meir Margalit Israeli Coalition Against Home Demolitions

"What keeps me awake at night is the question of how did we, the Jewish people get here? Two generations ago we were in ghettos in Europe. Today we build the ghettos."----Meir Margalit Israeli Coalition Against Home Demolitions

"We deal with the Government of Israel, not individual parties. We feel Israel should do the same. The PLO recognizes Israel, why should Israel be concerned with all the other factions [Hamas]?"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"Israel must make peace with its neighbors. They are a natural part of this area. War cannot continue for another 50 years. Peace will happen, even if it takes another 100 years"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"Fightine the Occupation is not a terrorist action. It is a war. Civillians will always suffer. Suicide bombers are terrorist actions like 9/11. But here in Bethlehem, we don't have a definition for terrorist. We believe Humans should be respected Everywhere"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"Israel is the only country in the world that the army made the state instead of the state making the army"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"They [Israel] are not self-critical, they are too proud to accept their problems and mistakes."--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"Israelies and Palestinians, we are noisey players, but we are not the power. The power is in the East"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"The West placed Israel here to divide Egypt and Syria, two major powers in the Middle East"--Fouad Kokali Member of Palestinian Legislative Council, former mayor of Bethlehem

"Through acting humane on both ends we can live peacefully. If you feel you are superior than acting human you will be disappointed"--Yousef Al Harimi Professor of Islam, Bethlehem University

I was only handed a slice. I hope to go back and gain more. Priviledged with my American passport I had no problems walking through the checkpoint. I cannot begin to imagine what life is like day to day on the other side of the wall. But I hope to learn more. Although I know it is only a minority I was constantly amazed at the hopeful future the Men and Women I encountered painted. That dispite their frustrations they only want to build up constructively and non-violently. I hope this voice will spread and maybe one day soon it will be the majority--on both ends.

BREAK

You may have noticed my excitment by the capital letters used in the spelling of the title of this post. I have for a very long time now been looking forward to this Passover break. I have been feeling overwhelmed recently. When I mentioned it to a friend she sarcastically said: 'gee with school full time, 2 part time jobs, and a weekly volunteer position how could you possibly feel like you don't have any time for yourself??' Yes, I over commit to things. Yes, I have a stong sense of obligation. And yes, this is why I feel overwhelmed.

Even now on break I am procrastinating between writing a letter to a Pardes donor, and editing my personal statement for my Shalem Center application. But I got to sleep in this morning, go get a cup of coffee and do some journal writing--two big pluses!

But even though I complain I enjoy everything I do. I get a lot of fulfillment out of the volunteering position. It has taught me that in no way shape or form do I want to be a social worker, but that I really do enjoy working with teens and young adults. Working with Nesiya has been good too. I got hired through the end of August and will be staffing one of their summer programs. Bit of info: for those of you who are Regina Spektor fans-she was a Nesiya participant in the summer of 1996 and wrote her very first song here in the Negev (southern Israeli desert).

I am going out of town this thursday and friday--keeping it a secret until i get back. Then on Friday night Tal and Nick arrive!! I am soo looking forward to spending time with them next week! I am also very much looking forward to my trip back to the states. I will be home a week from tomorrow--so soon! It has been almost 2 years since the whole Rosin clan was last together, too long.

Okay, need to finish work so I can start enjoying this BREAK

Ding Dong the iPods Dead

Well it was a dreary morning. The sky was dark and gray, it was pouring rain (which then turned into snow!) and when I turned on my ipod I got the icon of an ipod with a hazard sign and a frown on it's face--clever apple graphic designers...

I checked the website and it looks like the hardware is busted and although I kept it going for another few weeks it is finally time to say goodbye. Who knows maybe I will find the afikomen plated in gold this year (there is always wishing right??)

Due to the rain and the snow and the sleet my time on the streets was cancelled for tonight. We are going to try to reschedule sometime in the next few weeks. Although I am a little dissapointed that the experience will be delayed I am looking forward to getting home before midnight for the first time this week.

My Shalem Fellowship application is due April 1st so I will be focusing a lot of my efforts on that in the next coming week. My final day at Pardes before break is Sunday and then all the visitors start coming!

Ok, the roommates just baked some cookies and i feel it my duty to go help them eat them. Kol Tuv!

Media Update

Unfotunately I don't have much time to type. But wanted to give you all some quick updates:

1. I uploaded new/old photos and you can check them out by either clicking on the flickr shortcut at the bottom right of the blog OR go to www.flickr.com/photos/shirahrosin

2. My friend launched a new website called yideoz www.yideoz.com hoping to become the virtual jewish community for interactive media. I uploaded a short clip of my friend David's band playing at a local pub. Here is the clip:

http://www.yideoz.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d9607ee5a9d336962c53

Feel free to log on, sign up and upload your own videos!

3. Tonight was the last night of the Hartman series. I unfortunately had to miss it because I have bumped up my volunteering hours and had a training for working on the streets that begins this Thursday night/early morning (I am sure I will report on that later). BUT his lectures are actually available online. I know my notes were not the most coherent so I encourage you to check out the lectures yourselves if it is a subject that interests you. They are on video which is nice because he has got a great personality and it really gives you a sense of who the man behind the ideas is. ANYWAYS the first two lectures are up the others are waiting to be posted. Earlier series are also available to watch. You can check it out at: http://www.hartmaninstitute.com/ShowContent.asp?id=194

Good week to all!

The Whole Megillah

Well Purim is over, and the hangover has passed. There really is nothing like celebrating it here in Jerusalem. For some it was a 3 day holiday since Jerusalem (a walled city during the time of Joshua) celebrates the day after (15th of Adar) non-walled cities (at the time of Joshua). But recovering from a week slightly off health wise I decided it would be best to keep it low key.

I read the first chapter of Megillah (Book of Esther) Sunday night at Pardes. I was nervous as all hell and had been practicing since December. Being first and having to open with the Blessings in front of a room of 120+ was somewhat nerve racking--I don't think I have sung in public in some time! But after some deep breathing exercises and imagining that I was up there all alone it went smoothly. Some girlfriends and I decided to not think too hard on costumes, each bought a wig gathered up some garbage bags, table cloths and duct tape and went wild. The night was a lot of fun but a combo of not eating and a lot of drinking meant I was in bed before midnight...

I woke up the next morning and headed to the Old City where I read Megillah again. This time with Women at the Wall. Women at the Wall is a group of Women who have tried to make a voice for themselves within communal prayer. They gather once a month to do a Rosh Chodesh Torah service however they are not permitted to read at the Western Wall itself. Therefore they read at the Southern Wall Excavations. This is due to the fact that the Western Wall is technically an Orthodox synogague and there according to Orthodoxy there are Halachic problems with women being a part of a Torah service. The Halachot however are different when it comes to reading the Megillah. Many Orthodox communities have adopted Women or mixed Megillah services. So when Purim roles around Women at the Wall read Megillah at the Kotel (Western Wall). I was expecting some sort of controversy but was pleasently suprised that we were only met with curious stares. Looking back I really wish I had a camera to document the experience...Again I was up first. However this time it wasn't my nerves but my neaseua that was making me anxious. Luckily I read almost on auto-pilot and made fewer mistakes than I had the night before!

It was my first trip back to the Old City since August. I live a 20 minute walk away. It was my backyard the last time I spent time here in 1999. I think that is why I hesitate to go back. On one hand it is so familiar and on the other hand I just realize how much of a different person I am today than I was back then. So much of me has changed. To be a part of the Women at the Wall experience was a good way to get me back there. Maybe I won't let another 7 months pass by before visiting again.

I returned home to nurse the hangover some more and made it to my friend's Annie and Marni's later that day for Seudah (big festive meal). In the spirit of paying it forward I was on hand passing out glasses of water to all those with potential hangovers the next morning. We then headed over to town where the city of Jerusalem had put on a street fair. It was super cool to see the whole place lit up for the holiday and everyone walking around in costume. It kinda reminded me of being in Ireland during Holoween but I was having more fun this time around. The big show was HaDag Nachash--Israel's hottest hip hop group. Here are some photos from the holiday. I know I haven't uploaded anything for a while--you know the technology shpeil...but here are a few to enjoy in the meanwhile:

Here are the Lovely Ladies of 4 Mendele and 6 Jabotinsky:

A very telling photo of our night...

iPod Revival

There were skeptics, many skeptics. But it pulled through! You may recall from an earlier post that my ipod has been on it's last legs for a while. Most mornings I would be greated by one of two symbols: a folder with a warning symbol containing an exclaimation point or a battery with a similar exclaimation point. The latter symbol is not even featured on the ipod support site.

Through toggling the hold button and reseting the ipod I was able to make it last for a few more weeks. Most songs would not play all the way through and it would make a humming noise but I took what I could. Then, last friday...it left us. Like other days I was greeted by the same symbols but this time the music options would never come on. After an hour of trying to reset it, the machine wiped itself clean. I was partly frustrated since all my music is on my computer which is still out of commission. But I was more relieved because I thought I had solved the problem once and for all and could now return home and fill up on my roommate's playlists. WRONG! each time I hooked up the ipod it was said to be corrupted. I kept getting one of 2 error messages: 1418 and 1429. If you google 1418 you find 1418hell.com a website dedicated to those fortunate souls like myself. Turns out many people have had similar problems due to itunes 7. They gave possible solutions, but again no go. 1429 took me a little longer to find. Not listed on the support site I came accross it obscurely. The course of action listed: GET A NEW iPOD.

I refused to give up. 10 tries later it came back to life. In the spirit of this past week's Oscars I would like to thank the people that helped make this possible: Sarah Tasman, Elie Rosen, and Aaron Katchen.

My battery life is still low, and I am unable to switch around songs without overloading. But its music and it will last me til I get home.

Hartman Lectures 2 and 3

LECTURE 2 COVENENTIAL CONSCIOUSNESS FEB 12.2007
Covenential Consciousness is an empowering experience that calls the individual to responsibility and free choices. These choices are independent of authority and authoritative guidance.

Halacha is the translation of Mitzvot (commandments) into an everyday reality. It is only a framework to guide us not an overarching authoritative structure.

We look as an example to Maimonidies in his understanding of the role of the convert within Judaism. In his letter to Ovadiah the convert (translated by Lorberman) Maimonidies wrote that there is no difference between the tribal ethnic Jew and the convert Jew. What makes someone Jewish? Is the covenant of Judaism able to supercede birth? Historically, no. Ideology on the choice to live a Jewish live was not the winning voice.

For Maimonidies the way ofthe Lord is natural morality. This is the way to God that Abraham taught. The unity of God and the aceptance of this as well as the morality was the way to enter into the Abrahamic mosaic.

Halacha is independent mosaic that followed the Abrahamic mode. For Hartman this is problematic for those who dictate their lives purely according to the Halachic model.

The Abrahamic comunity could not exist in a Pagan world. In Egypt they witnessed that you can't build your life purely on a philosophy/ideology. You need materialistic/tangible realitites to seperate you from the larger society to survive. This was the beginning of the Mitzvah/Halacha as a diciplined framework. What keeps people Jewish is the fabric in which they live by. People are not moved by ideas, but by behavior.

Abraham's belief was the rejection of idolotry and the unity of God. A religion of faith, not of rules. Therefore one who chooses faith shoudl be accepted as one who was born a Jew. "No difference exists between us and you" "Let not your geneology be a light in your eyes"-Maimonidies letter to Ovadiah the Convert.

What does this mean? The light in your eyes goes directly back to God. This covenant that the convert takes on shoudl be the overpowering strength of identity, feeling a part of the people. Unfortunately this is not the reality of today.

Genetic Jewishness can be first seen in the Mishna regarding the bringing of the first fruits to the Temple. Bikuim 1:4--When one who is born to a Jewish mother brings the first fruits he makes a decleration that 'My Father was a wandering Aramean'. When a convert brings the first fruits he states 'His Father was a wandering Aramean'. In the Talmud Yerushalmi it is stated that we hold according to R. Yehuda who believed that the convert too states 'My' since Abraham was the father of many nations. Maimonidies also holds like R. Yehuda.

There is a later tractate of Gemara (Babylonian Talmud) in Kidushin that states "Don't elect a King who is not of your bretheren by birth". Can we use the Aggadic motif of Maimonidies to challange this? Challenge Halacha? The Gemara? How can one say that a convert is not one of your brothers??

Do morality and deeper theological principles trump halachic tradition? Does it have weight in interpreting the law? For Maimonidies the law is what the Talmud and the tradition has enabled him to state it is. Even though he has an enormous amount of moral and deeply theological literature, he is unable to combat Halacha.

Can we challenge halacha? Ask the question of why it exists? Can I ask is this how God intended me to live? Do I have legitimacy to do so? Can my religious vision/weight or the choice of my relationship to God be the ground of my decision making process?Do I have the freedom of decision making based on my own moral basis? To what degree do theological and moral impulses play a role/have ground to determine Halachic practice?

No book can decide for me in crucial situations.

HARTMAN LECTURE 3 SEARCH FOR THEOLOGICAL & MORAL MOTIFS WHICH SHOULD BE THE GENORATORS OF HALACHA FEB. 26.2007

Halacha should not be self sufficient but a mirror of religious impulse. There is the need to confront tradition where the tradition itself violates moral and deeply religious impulses.

Individualistic thrust with Maimonidies is morality. Collectivity is the halacha. It is out of the community where his spirituality begins. Choosing Halacha is choosing the Jewish way.

If so, am I completely claimed by the community?? Sinai was the where sole individuals came to merge and mold into a collective. This collectivity can thrust out individuality, but how do you navigate this? How does one allow for individual choice in the face of authority?

Halacha spins in it's own orbit. It no longer takes into consideration of where the individual is.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL??? THIS should be THE question. Can another tell you how to feel? How do you know th trust yourself?

Hartman is trying to find the person within Judaism. What do you feel when you stand before God? What do you feel about your religion?

There is a responsibility for Scholarship-educating onesself. Asking how you feel and then seeing if that music contains within it the tunes found with the framework of halacha. How does it play out?

Deep religous subjegation today comes in relationship to the State of Israel. For example: Yom HaAtzmaut (Israeli Independence Day). Does one recite Hallel or not? With or without a blessing? OR does one lament and mourn at the Kotel HaMaravi (Western Wall)?? All are realities. How do you feel?

The greatest Halacha for validity is personal feeling. Without it Halacha is producing drones. This cannot function within a living Judaism. It is only contributing to the death of Judaism.

Maimonidies would disagree. In the Guide to the Perplexed Ch. 3 he tries to offer an explaination to animal sacrifice within Judaism. For him there must be a need. For him there is no room for the possibility that anything that God asks is arbitrary. He deeply wants to translate will into wisdom. He explains that sacrifice either develops moral growth, communication, or social health. To say there is a law without meaning would make God arbitrary. Maimonidies wanted to merge God of nature (god of wisdom) with God of revelation (god of will).

His goal ws to protect God from the possibility of being arbitrary.

Torah cannot be seperated from te deep religious impulse to ween the Jewish people away from Paganism. Whatever the Pagans did, the Jews did the opposite. The Pagans worshiped the sun, the Jews worshiped the moon. Pagans exhalted animals, the Jews sacrificed them. As a weening process, the Jews were also used to sacrafice--it had been used in Egypt. It was the only expression of praise to God they were familiar with.

The nature of the people could not have been changed. God doesn't change human nature. Sacrifice became a restricted practice. It could only be done by the priests within the temple.

For Maimonidies there are 3 types of prayer:
1. Sacrifice: Pagan forms were restricted however sacrifice became included within Temple worship
2. Prayer as we know it today
3. Silent Contemplation

Sacrifice is the lowest form. Prayer can be done by everyone. How do we elevate people to silent contemplation?

Law of revelation was also given in a response to a historical reality. One must to listen to a people to hear what their needs are. For Hartman this is what Orthodoxy cannot accept.

The Torah became eternal not because of revelation but because it was re-interpreted. We make the Torah eternal--always taking it into context.

You can't have anything without relating it to the situation from where it comes.

Why does God allow the world to go in a way that is not perfection? He prefers to make us choose, to give us the opportunity to choose. The prophets made change through education and patience. God doesn't change nature, God doesn't legislate behavior.

In another text, the Mishna Torah Maimonidies seems to contradict himself in regard to sacrifice. Although it is the lowest form of prayer and a response for a specific time and people he still beleives that when the 3rd temple is rebuilt there will be the reinstatement of sacrifice. Why? Because for Maimonidies the only way to change law is through the Sanhedrin (the old high court) a centralized body that organized Halachic change. For Maimonidies there is no room for the individual to make these choics alone doing so would undermine the validity of Halacha. If the Sanhedrin had abolished it, it would be a non-issue.

Hartman: Man should move to a higher form of worship. why don't we use that as our guiding principle?

There may be reasons the necessity of the law. But once the law is created it functions in it's own orbit. It is seperated fom those reasons of creation (Solevechik).

Hartman: THIS IS CRAZY! Halacha is alive! You can't remove it from the reasons of why it was created, the moral impulses. Halacha is always anchored in both the reality in which it was created and the people who live it. Halacha is not an independent system. Rules are not a substitution for lived reality. The Torah is the first moment of the system, not the end. What makes the Torah so interesting is it's imperfections. We have to challenge humans to reinterpret and fix these imperfections. Just as future generations will reflect on us.

Holy is shaped by deep deep imperfections.

ARRR

I should have been asleep an hour ago, I need to be up before 6am. But thanks to procrastination and Sarah Tasman's love of Pirates I did this:

My pirate name is:

Captain Charity Rackham

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Heading to the Jordan Valley for a little hiking and Shabbat. A good weekend to all!

New Freckles

I have noticed more recently the development of small constellations popping up in various parts of my body. Not as bad as a game of connect the dots, but more like a graceful stream. Today I noticed one that popped up just under my eye and another just under my nose. They seem to like the right side of my face more than my left but have no bias when it comes to my neck.

Other things are new in my life as well. And like the freckles they seem to just be faint ideas until they materialize into something real. I have started part time work at Nesiya www.nesiya.org doing recruiting for their summer program. The goal right now is that I will now only be working with them up until the summer, but through the summer and perhaps next year. I also have a meeting tomorrow with someone for a potential fellowship at a think tank. Hopefully that will work out as well. I will keep you posted.

As far as other good things go--my luck seems to run out with technology. As mentioned there is touble with laptop land, and my ipod is on it's last legs almost making it to 3 years (not bad for ipods from what I hear). The technology kick seems to even include the simple yet advanced zipper-the zipper on my wallet broke Friday afternoon. I am using the trusty pocket/keychain steve's pack until I find a replacement. I figure I'll keep using it til I find something artsy yet practical.

I hopped a Sherut (shuttle service) to Tel-Aviv last Friday. It is pathetic to say but it was the first time I was there since I landed! They have a great outdoor arts fair on a strip called Nachalat Binyamin. I walked around there with friends, grabbed lunch and had a glass of red wine on the beach. GREAT DAY. I need to do it more often, this time I will have my eyes open for a new wallet!

In short: I have been continuing with the Hartman lectures which I am VERY much enjoying. I will post my notes when I get the chance. I had the pleasure of sharing lunch with Esty (E-note shout out) which was delicious as always. Will be starting a new initiative with Crossroads-the teen center I volunteer with-that is called coloring the streets. I along with another volunteer and social worker will once a month be walking the downtown streets of Jerusalem where our kids tend to hang out and in addition to being there to talk to we are going to have art programs available for them to participate in. I will put more info in about this as it plays out in time. Planning a trip to Greece the first week of June with friends before we spread again to all corners of the earth. 6 weeks until I meet baby Tarni!!

sad shirah

months and months ago I had a series of people who started making comments to me regarding bizarre sightings. They all started with 'I thought I saw you the other day' had various middle parts and ended with 'you looked so sad, and then I realized it wasn't you after all'. We started calling them sad shirah sightings. A girl who apparently looks strikingly similar to me who walks around Jerusalem with a frown on her face. Once the weather began to get cold the sightings stopped. Until today...

This morning someone approached me and asked if I ever visit the post office on Emek Refaim. My response was no. Turns out that sad shirah is a teller at the bank and she was taken by the resemblance. When I mentioned earlier sightings and the alias we had given her, Joanne mentioned that it was right on. With a location determined I will have to go seek this girl out myself and maybe convince her not to be so sad.

apparently the third time is not the charm....

I bought my ibook in the summer of 2004. The packaged stayed complete until my second week here in Israel when my charger died. After reading online this was not uncommon of a charger that was 2 years old or more. So I replaced the charger with another Apple charger I bought off ebay. This too worked until it's plastic covering cracked leaving exposed wires that eventually broke. With international shipping charges high and the ebay distributor no longer listed I shared my roomate's charger for a couple of months. In early December I purchased a third charger from another distributer on ebay. This time it was not an Apple made product but one that was designed to be compatible. That it was. It was brought by friends and I used it happily until 2 days ago. This time through unknown circumstances a piece of the charger got stuck in the computer while it was being removed. As a result the charger no longer works nor am I able to remove the piece. So my computer lies on my desk, unused and dead. I will take it home with me when I return for Passover and I am hoping that my trusty friends at the Genius desk in the Apple store will be able to fix the problem in a jiffy. Until then my computer access will be limited so I will apologize if my posts begin to become sporatic.

Shabbat Shalom and a good weekend to all!