Saturday, October 9, 2010 - Motzei Shabbat

1. From Playwright David Mamet - How not to be a stranger in a strange land | Opinion | Jewish Journal - I am not sure where he gets the Rudyard Kipling reference (though I did read at one site that Kipling had some Jewish roots) - but whatever the degree of your Judaism, and I will be the first to admit that there are lots of gaps in mine, his basic advice is good. Sometimes Jews just need some time to be together with other Jews;

Where can we be among ourselves as Jews? That’s right. Come to the shul. You don’t even have to go into the prayer service; sit in the courtyard and drink tea among the alter-Yidden. What could be better?

The shul needs us, and we need the shul. We work too hard, and we live in a hostile environment. As we always have. That’s all right, but we need a rest.

Indulge yourselves. Interfaith panels and outreach and so on are all well and good when the TV is broken, but the time for letters to the editor is long past. It’s time to do something for the Jews, for the Jewish people and for yourselves as Jews. Build a shul.

2. The New Battlefield - many people who know of my passion for Israel advocacy often ask me - "Why doesn't Israel do a better job at getting its message out?" There is no simple answer, but this article Theater of War - by Amy Zalman Tablet Magazine - A New Read on Jewish Life - may offer some responses and some ideas.

3. Never-Ending - about a week ago Jews celebrated the holiday of Simchat Torah - celebration of the Torah. Among many very nice customs is the one that once the last words of V'Zot HaBerachah, the last parsha of Devarim (Deuteronomy) are read:

10. And there was no other prophet who arose in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
11. as manifested by all the signs and wonders, which the Lord had sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and all his servants, and to all his land,
12. and all the strong hand, and all the great awe, which Moses performed before the eyes of all Israel.

and that Torah is properly put away, we immediately take out a Torah that is set to Bereshit, the first parsha of Bereshit (Genesis) and read the opening lines of that parsha which recounts the creation of the world.

I had been taught as a child that one of the reasons for this was to show that the Torah is never-ending, and that to do so demonstrates the continuity of the Jewish people and their devotion to Torah.

Here is another explanation which I found quite interesting and touching - In a Loop - by Esther Schor Tablet Magazine - A New Read on Jewish Life.

4. This Link Is Not For Everyone - Shalom Auslander is a Jewish author with a unique approach to Judaism. This may be demonstrated simply by referring to one of his books entitled "Foreskin's Lament". So be forewarned - you may not like or even be offended what he writes in this article - Getting Along - by Shalom Auslander Tablet Magazine - A New Read on Jewish Life - which addresses the question - why isn't a Jew allowed to hate a fellow Jew?

5. And Another Provocative Article - when do you "play the antSemitism card", or perhaps more aptly "allege antiSemitism"? Consider this - The Jews who cried ‘anti-Semite!’ | Hollywood Jew | Jewish Journal - I think that the last line of the article (though you should read the whole thing) is quite wise.

6. The Druze - During a 2009 trip to Israel, our group drove more or less along the northern Israeli border from the Valley of Tears on the Golan to the Galil Winery in the Galilee, passing through some Druze villages. Later, we also had the pleasure of being hosted by a Druze family near Haifa. Here is an article about these fascinating people and the world they inhabit - Michael Totten » The Tower of the Sun.

7. Speaking Of the North Of Israel (and the South of Lebanon) - Commentary » Blog Archive » Hezbollah: A Bigger Menace than Ever

8. And Speaking Of Groups Like Hezbollah - Israel’s Strange “Peace Partners” | FrontPage Magazine

9. Tied Hands - Pajamas Media » In Terror Fight, Israel’s Hands Still Tied

10. Hockey 2010-11 - OK - so Toronto beat Montreal in the season-opener - who cares? To get you ready for the new NHL season, here is CBC's video farewell to last year's exciting playoffs.