This morning I woke up at the ung-dly hour of 5 something AM and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I decided to see if there was anything new and interesting to watch online and that’s when I came across this.

They do not believe in peace talks. They do not want to share the land. They are well armed and are carrying out increasingly violent attacks, even targeting innocent civilians. They are members of Israel’s militant far right, and they are threatening to become Israel’s next big problem.

Read more about this documentary on the PBS webpage.

I’m far from being the most informed person when it comes to the many complicated nuances involved in the Israeli/Palestinian situation. However I just don’t understand how the extremists in this video can see themselves as being any different than Palestinian extremists. Murder is murder and misappropriation of G-D is insanely wrong regardless of whether you call him Allah or Hashem. Don’t get me wrong I think that much of what is done at the hands of Palestinian extremists is horrible but watching this documentary it’s clear that the bullshit flows both ways.

Anyhow I was disturbed by this documentary but it was very informative and I highly recommend checking it out.

Part one

Part two

Part three

Part four

Part five

Part six

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Last weekend ABC’s (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) program “The Spirit of Things” aired an interesting show looking at some of the schisms, opportunities and misunderstandings that exist within the Jewish/Christian dialogue.  I am listing to it now and thus far, it’s quite good.

Below is the show synopsis and a couple links for those of you who would like to listen to it for your selves!

SUMMARY: Since the parting of the ways 2000 years ago, are Christians and Jews any closer to bridging the gap of understanding and friendship? After a history of being persecuted by Christians, Jews feel they are still the object of antisemitism. Meanwhile Christians preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to an unredeemed world. How can these two traditions overcome the sibling rivalry and work for a better world? New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine, and others from the International Council of Christians and Jews conference in Sydney point the way.

       1) Link  2) Enclosure

One thing that has really grabbed me was the interview with Amy-Jill Levine, a biblical scholar from Vanderbilt . I have a an excellent series of lectures by here on some of the great figures of the “Old Testament”. I had always assumed that she was a Christian theologian because that lecture series I have, used the term “Old Testament” instead of Torah in the title. I just thought that no Jew would do that. But nope she is in fact an accomplished (Modern Orthodox) Jewish academic.

One of her main points seems to be that we Jew’s need to develop a better understanding of who Jesus was and why he is so important to our Christians neighbors. More or less suggesting that we Jews a have been lazy especially since the Holocaust in terms of Judeo/Christian understanding. She goes on to to suggest many Jews seem to believe that Christians need to apologize and learn about us and our Judaism but we need do nothing but accept the apologies. To her this is not only a mistake but inappropriate. If you want to know why, well then you will have to listen for yourselves! 

NOTE: I just heard that Jesus wore “Tzitzit“. Nice!

Levine also briefly touches on how and why she wound up as a member of an Orthodox community, which is also interesting.

Oh, I wanted mention that she has written what promises to be a very interesting new book, titled “The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus”. This is one, I’m sure to be reading in the not too distant future.

Anyhow, I haven’t even touched on the interfaith dialogue stuff but trust me it’s worth checking out!

Zed and Steg, if you guys end up listening to the show let me know what you think.

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A couple of days ago I stumbled upon this short interview clip in which Reb Zalman is asked if he could impart one thing about Teshuvah to his grandchildren what would it be.

Reb Zalman replied with a lovely little snip it taken(I believe) from some Hassidic teaching tale which went something like this.

G-D is more angry that we don’t take advantage of Teshuvah then he is over the sin.

Actually it’s so short and easy enough for me to embed into this post why don’t you watch Reb Zalman tell the story himself.

I can’t really speak for anyone other than myself but I feel this simple and pithy statement hits the nail right on the head. I’m often able to realize when I’ve made a mistake (after the fact that is). I can even take such insights and integrate them into my conscious mind so that I’m less likely to fall into the same trap in the future. However I don’t really like copping to my mistakes so much.  I mean I’m good with learning from the past and do my best not to repeat mistakes but I have a hard time stopping myself once I realize I’ve screwed up and then go apologize to the person.  I think it’s often a combination of pride and embarrassment.

Reb Zalman’s thoughts on the subject really hit home in that I unfortunately all too often engage in the exact opposite of what he’s suggesting. Anyhow I guess there’s always room to grow and improve. I think that I will end this post with a Thank you to Reb Zalman for gently and accurately shining a little light on one of my many blind spots.

Be well

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Today considering it’s Friday and all I decided to kick back, watch a few videos online and to my pleasant surprise I stumbled upon something I’d never seen before. It’s an hour and a half long documentary based on Karen Armstrong’s book ? a brief history of G-D?. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Karen she is probably one of the most important contemporary theologians around. This documentary which as I’ve mentioned is based on one of her best-selling books tracks the origins of man’s understanding, beliefs in and relationship with the G-D from its beginnings right up to the modern-day. Although it is based on Armstrong’s book it a also includes interviews with other academic and religious experts from all three major streams of monotheism. There’s even a little time dedicated to a kabbalistic understanding of G-D.

Although this documentary is trimmed down content wise compared to the near 500 page book , it is nonetheless entertaining and informative.

Anyhow if you do wind up watching it please let me know what you thought.

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Actually it looks more like a college classroom than a bar and this isn’t really even a joke but that’s ok.

I stumbled across this two-part video series of a recent interfaith discussion between a priest, an imam and a rabbi and felt they were worth sharing with others.

To be honest this discussion is at times a little slow and boring but the videos are certainly worth skimming because there’s some interesting stuff covered. For example some of the things which caught my attention included a discussion of creation stories, the nature of G-D and a discussion of free will, evil and original sin.

Watching the video I just assumed that the rabbi was Reconstructionist simply because of some of the views he presented in that funky Sephardic style Kippah he was wearing. However it turns out he’s a conservative rabbi which was pleasantly surprising but I don’t have much contact with conservative rabbis so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at all, who knows.

Anyhow the videos run over two hours in total but I just skipped around, watching both of them in 45 minutes or so and still managed to get a lot out of them.

Enjoy and as always feel free to share your thoughts if you do in fact watch the videos.

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I tend to see myself first and foremost as a spiritual person and that’s something I’m usually pretty proud of. I’m also a person who talks a lot about gratitude as an essential part of the spiritual path. I read about it and I think about how I can become more grateful towards myself, others, G-D and life. Unfortunately I often seem to fall short in this department. I think much of this problem is rooted in the fact that I’m so disconnected from many aspects of my life.

Anyhow today I spoke briefly with my mother on the phone and she told me a story that really hit home. Apparently one of her friends has a son who is roughly my age and overweight (but slightly smaller than me according to my mother) who was recently sent to the hospital for heart trouble. I didn’t get exactly what was wrong but apparently it’s serious and he’s going to need to be medically monitored and make some significant lifestyle changes. My mother is very cautious with me because of our history, so she didn’t say anything about my health and or weight but I could feel the concern in her voice.

Coming back to the idea that I am a “spiritual” person, over the past year (on and off at least) I’ve been trying to bring my body into the equation and it’s been a huge struggle. I’ve had a rough life and have overcome a lot including heavy alcohol abuse (oh by the way later this month marks my third year clean and sober, yay for me) so it’s not like I’m unable to master my addictions. It is just that for whatever reason this weight thing has been very difficult, frustrating and depressing.

My mother’s story has me worried because although I’ve been very fortunate even as an overweight adults in terms of health. I’m slipping into that age group now where things like weight can really start to get you into trouble.

I don’t want to come off as someone who’s unhealthy because I’m not actually at this point unhealthy I’m just fat. I mean compared to a lot of people I’m actually very healthy because I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I don’t do drugs. Also for most of my adulthood I’ve lived off of a primarily plant based diet and as of last month I’ve given up what little meat I was previously eating. It’s funny because Tamara thinks I’m one of the healthiest eaters she knows she just always adds “your portions are just way too big” and she’s right about that. I really don’t think I’m unhealthy I’m just unfortunately pretty fat and that puts me at risk of becoming unhealthy every day I stay like this.

This week I’ve realized that I don’t need to change the foods I eat. In fact I don’t even think I need to change my attitude towards the foods I eat. I’ve realized that I need to change my attitude towards my body when it comes to food.

I’ve also realized that I need to move my sense of “Spirituality” out of my Neshamah, past my mind and into my body a little bit more because there seems to be a disconnect in this department.

I’ve never been super connected to my body in fact I’ve spent a lot of time trying to escape it, which is why I wound up neck deep in booze and drugs growing up. I guess the process of reconnecting to my body is something that has been slowly taking place for years and now it’s just time to kick it up to the next level or something.

I have been doing stuff on this front for a little while but I think it’s time to try something new. It’s time to bring G-D into this equation or rather bring my relationship with G-D into the process. Because up until now I haven’t done that, well at least not with any measure of honesty.

Okay so bringing it back to gratitude and its role in spirituality I’m wondering the following.

Can one honestly claim to be grateful towards Hashem if that gratitude isn’t reflected in the way we treat our own bodies? Can I truly be taking a sense of covenant to heart if I’m ignorantly destroying the very body that holds that heart? Do I have the right to criticize anyone for being environmentally unfriendly, when I mismanage my own physical environment?

Okay yes I’m being a little melodramatic but the basic points behind these questions are in my opinion worthy of some serious consideration.

Anyhow bearing the above in mind I have decided that it’s time for me to put more effort into connecting to my body as a way of connecting to G-D. I really don’t know how all of this is going to unfold but I think that reciting “Asher Yatzar” daily is a good start.

And on that note I leave you with the following lovely version of “Asher Yatzar” taken from a sermon at Temple Beth-El of Richmond, Virginia.

“Blessed are You, O Lord, our God, king of the universe, that created the human being with infinite wisdom, and created passages that are supposed to be open (like mouth and nose) and passages that are supposed to be closed (like stomach and heart). It is revealed and known before the throne of Your glory, that if those intended to be closed were open or those intended to be open were closed, we couldn’t exist and arise before You. Blessed are You, O Lord, healer of all flesh and who does wondrously.”

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A couple of weeks back I found this quote by Mordecai Kaplan somewhere online and saved it for later use in a post. However it’s been so long that I seem to have forgotten just where I snagged it from. I know that it was online and I’m sure it was taken from a relatively reliable source. Come to think of it I have this vague sense that this quote may have originally been in Kaplan’s classic book “Judaism as an Evolving Religious Civilization” but I can’t say for sure.

Anyhow it’s a great quote regardless of where it came from so here it is.

“To believe in God means to take for granted that it is man’s destiny to rise above the brute and to eliminate all forms of violence and exploitation from human society.” 

This quote captures with great elegance and simplicity my own recent thinking on what it means to believe in G-D as well as the implications that such a belief holds. Of course if I want to be picky I can point out that his use of the term “man” is somewhat pejorative towards approximately 50% of those who believe in G-D. However considering that it was most likely written at least 50 or 60 years ago I think that it’s OK to let this one slide.

It is a quote that speaks to me in so many ways and on so many levels. It informs me that to believe in G-D means that I must elevate myself above my own inner darkness and lower nature. I read Kaplan’s words as a call encouraging all of us to stop engaging in violence against ourselves, each other and the world we inhabit. I believe this quote pithily points out the incredible incompatibility between a truly spiritual life and the willful engagement in exploitation, no matter how small it maybe.

I read this as a simple instruction to open my eyes, mind and heart, so that I can better see how it is that I am manifesting in this life I’ve been given. Also just beneath the surface of this quote. I suspect that Kaplan is imploring us to remember that we are but stewards here for a short time and are responsible not only for our Neshamah’s work in this life but also the legacy we leave behind for future generations.

I think Kaplan’s quote grabbed my attention because not only does it speak to the parts of me that I am aware of but also to the parts of me that are just now beginning to emerge as I work my way up the ladder one rung at a time. Reading his words today I couldn’t help but reflect on my last post and think to myself “ yes I understand what you’re saying and in my own muddled way, I’m indeed working on it.”

And on that note Shavua Tov.

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With Passover now winding down and the counting of the Omer about to push into week two, I’ve been reflecting on what it means to be alive. Specifically I’ve been thinking about the role that intention and perception seem to play in how our lives are experienced both individually and collectively. I’ve been thinking about how although everyone has free will at our disposal, many of us are all too often willing to give it away to our subconscious fears and prejudices instead of putting it to better use.

This is certainly something that I’m guilty of in my own life and I realize that it all too often causes huge and unnecessary difficulties both personally and professionally. I also realize that I’m far from being the only one who goes through this kind of thing because I see it around me all of the time. I suppose part of the problem is the cynicism and me first attitude which permeates modern Western culture. I also believe that a large part of it is because many of us are never taught how to truly appreciate life and the opportunities which come our way, including things like our family and friends. Even sadder is the fact that many of us have also never learned how to actually allow ourselves to be appreciated by others.

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I stumbled across this on YouTube this morning and thought I would share it with those who are either actually engaged in some form of counting the Omer or are interested in learning a more about it.

It’s a little rough and unscripted but an interesting introduction nonetheless. Also from what I gather the Rabbi is JTS trained and works out of a Reconstructionist/Conservative synagogue somewhere in Illinois.

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Andrew Cohen the man behind WIE and self proclaimed Spiritual Guru was in Israel last September on some kind of teaching tour. During his visit he took some time out to participate in an interesting interview which discussed among other things, Israel and what Cohen refers to as “Evolutionary Spirituality“.

I’ve known of Andrew Cohen and his work for about six or seven years thanks to a friend who talked me into buying an issue of his What Is Enlightenment magazine. Coincidentally (or maybe not, who knows) that issue also turned me on to Don Beck and Spiral Dynamics which is something I’m hugely interested in but that’s a topic for another post.

While I’m off-topic I might as well mention that Ken Wilber also recently did an interview (phone) with a journalist from Israel. I meant to post about it while Tamara was here but to be honest several of his comments aggravated me so much I decided not to bother for the time being. Let’s just say that I didn’t feel he came off all that “Integrally Informed” about Judaism and I basically figured that if I didn’t have anything positive to say, I might as well not say anything at all. However maybe I can come back to it later on this week and try tying it into this post. Who knows?

Okay let’s try to get back on track with this here post…

At least on the surface much of Cohen’s Evolutionary Enlightenment shtick resonates with me and I believe that many aspects of his Evolutionary Spirituality are quite compatible with Judaism, at least the more liberal/progressive expressions of it. However many things about the man and the way he personally manifests in the world just doesn’t work for me. I suppose there are several reasons for my cautiousness about him but they aren’t relevant to this post, so I won’t bother going into them. For me the bottom line is that Andrew Cohen is right on the mark about a few things which are IMO both important and worthy of exploration. I don’t have to accept him as enlightened or as my spiritual teacher in order to benefit from his views, so I see no need to throw the guru out with the bath water.

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