Jewish Musings, tues., feb. 21

[gazelle18]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:

Angelika
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to do that but you are also welcome to chime in!

[gazelle18]

Hi everyone,

I learned SO much in India. There are dozens of different states who think India, and the regions have their own traditions, food, personalities. I will admit, some of the customs are strange to westerners.

There is a very small sect called Parsi. Centuries ago, they came from Iran. They worship various elements, such as air, water, fire. It is considered an insult to the element of fire to burn a dead body. I am not sure why burial is not an option, but that's beside the point. So instead of cremations, the Parsi people erect tall towers, called towers of silence. At the top of the tower, there is a funnel shaped structure. A dead body is placed on a shelf inside the funnel. The body gets eaten by vultures. These towers are erected right in the middle of a city such as Mumbai. Eventually, due to the decrease in the vulture population, they ingeniously came up with an alternative system of quickly mummifying the body with the use of solar panels placed in the towers.

Then there are the Jain monks, who eschew all clothing, all the time. When they travel from place to place, they are often shielded from sight by followers holding up white sheets.

We went to a large Sikh temple. There were a few men chanting sacred songs, sitting on the floor, and worshippers were all sitting on the floor as well. The temple has a large food kitchen which feeds as many as 25,000 people per day, for free. We went into the kitchen to watch the making of the food. Unfortunately, before we could enter the kitchen, we had to take our shoes off! So we were walking around a busy kitchen, where hot food was being cooked, stirred in huge pots with 6 foot long sticks, all the time barefoot. Wow.


It caused me to think: when a gentile encounters the Jewish faith, what are some of the things he might find just plain strange? Thoughts?

[happysavta]

I think that gentiles are very surprised that Jews simply don't see truth in what they believe. They are puzzled; how can we not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, G-d, the only path to salvation, etc. According to the gentiles, we've missed a huge opportunity. Why would we choose to follow a system of Laws when we could obtain Grace just by saying, "I believe". Why would we want a nameless, faceless G-d when we could have G-d manifested in the flesh? Don't we want salvation and life everlasting? Don't we see how easy it is to have all our personal sins forgiven if we worship this personal G-d? It seems so obvious and clear to them that their beliefs are truths. Why don't the Jews see it; that is what they find plain strange.

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well. I like today's topic but have nothing more to add to the comments above! At least, not at the moment.

Today I'm going to the pulmonary doctor to get the results of my latest sleep study. He is probably going to tell me that I need to get a different CPAP but I don't want to. I have been seeing a lot of doctors recently, but I'm glad I'm able to do this and take better care of my health.

That's about it for right now. I'll check in later. Have a peaceful day, Lee

[louise]

Wow, Lynne, what a collection of stories and experiences! I can't top the Parsi tradition you described but people coming to a synagogue might think it strange that many of the people are wearing shawls with fringes, that if we drop a prayer book we kiss it, that our most sacred book is a scroll, that we fast for a day and signify the ending with a blast on a ram's horn. Passover is probably a little peculiar to an outsider as well - changing dishes, ridding your home of certain foods, selling chametz (and buying it back). And what are they doing shaking that palm branch in all directions?! Wrapping leather strips around their heads and arms?

Wait, there's more....

For me, had trouble with food again this weekend - not as bad as a bag of chocolate chips, but still - a lot of grazing. Also, I was supposed to make a pair of curtains for my brother and SIL and when I went to sew them the thread kept breaking and then the needle got so mangled I had trouble extricating it. The material is very sheer with embroidery that is like little knots and I just couldn't sew on it. Will ask some seamstress friends - may end up having to make them by hand, which I'm not looking forward to. I'm sure my SIL is annoyed with me over it. Oh well. My next project is going to be my Statue of Liberty costume. I took a look at the green sheets and green T shirt I bought and I see what I need to do. Not sure about how I will make the crown yet but I found some light green pipe cleaners online that may work out twisted on a headband - then started looking on line for a green wig but I think maybe that's a step to far.

In the middle of a Mishloach Manot program for my synagogue. Have done all of the purchasing - always a nervous making moment because I spend about $2000 but I'm glad to say we have taken in twice that so far, so at least I'm in the black. There's still another week or two in which time I'm hoping we can double where we are now.

I know - a lot of blah, blah, blah. Sorry.

[hollygail]

I imagine tefillin are likely the least common sight for non-Jews...

Busy day. I probably won't be back (even to read) until after dinner. Have a great day, ladies!

[happysavta]

When I look at all the different religions and examine the do and don'ts, commandments and prohibitions, I get dizzy. I end up concluding that nobody has a clue about G-d. Nobody knows what pleases G-d, what displeases G-d, what G-d wants of us. Don't eat cows - don't eat pigs - don't drink alcohol - don't drink coffee. Pray erect, pray on your knees, put your face in the ground. Sing, dance, shout in worship, pick up snakes, live and pray in absolute silence. Everybody is right? Everybody is wrong? It's all a jumble to me.

Even "universal" religious truths are not universal at all. Thou shalt not kill, but you should kill your enemy before he kills you. Kill the kofer, but not your fellow religionists. Kill the heretic. Kill if G-d commands it. Or, should you turn the other cheek and not fight back?

What's justice in different religions? Justice is agreeing on a payment from the killer of your relative instead of making him pay with his own life. Justice is an eye for an eye. Justice is going to hell. Justice is meted out by G-d in many forms. Every religion has a different spin on universal truths. It makes me dizzy.

I guess we all have to pick and choose and try to find some sense in all the religious teachings and religious practices. And if we can't find much sense in it, then we just have to find our comfort zone, what we personally can practice and feel good doing.

[savtele]

Hello All! (kind of late in the day)

Ok, I've actually had someone ask me about their neighbor's little "hut" in the backyard - they weren't comfortable asking the neighbor. Then again, I've had all kinds of people in our sukkah. And yes, like Holly mentioned, tefillin are probably pretty odd for non-Jews. Then again, Louise's Torah-seatbelts will no doubt get a double-take or two.

Oh, and ever since reading your comment about Jain, I'm singing Buffy Saint-Marie's "Universal Soldier" (he's a Catholic, a Hindu, an atheist, a Jain, a Buddhist, and an Baptist and a Jew, and he knows he shouldn't kill, and he knows he always will, kill you for me my friend and me for you)

In running up against other people's beliefs and customs: I had worked for many years with a man who was of the "Friends/Quaker" faith. He retired, then years later, he died. So several of us from the office went to the service - where the seats were set up in concentric circles. There were no seats on the outside of the circle, but several together toward the center, so we gamely trooped in, sat down. Then realized that the inner circle was immediate family, then less close relatives/close friends, acquaintances, etc. (we should probably have been standing near the back, LOL!)

I'm doing laundry today. Need to go empty one load, get another started.

have a good day ladies

[lee058]

Hi again everybody. The pulmonary doctor said that I really needed to get a new CPAP and that the masks had changed a lot since I got my first one. The tests showed that my sleep apnea was "severe" and that it could damage a lot of aspects of my health. I don't want to get a new CPAP, but I will get one and try it anyway. Maybe the masks are more comfortable than they used to be, and I'll be able to sleep with one on. I hope so.

Have a peaceful rest of the day, Lee

[happysavta]

Lee, there are some very lightweight nasal masks and the headgear is much smaller and less binding nowadays. I'm not comfortable using the nasal pillows either. Take a look at the Wisp and the Dreamweaver Elan masks; you might like them. You can get used to using a CPAP; it's just a matter of persistence. Start with a half hour and increase. BTW, all of the CPAP supply companies have a policy of allowing you to try a mask for 30 days and if you don't like it, you can try a different style. I don't know what kind of CPAP machine you had in the past, but the new ones have some great features; you can start with a lower pressure and ramp up, you can use the built in humidifier, etc. I have severe sleep apnea, so does DS#2 and DS#4. They had to get CPAP machines in their early 20s. We're a CPAP family. All of us use our CPAP machines every night; we use it for naps, we take it on all trips. I wonder if the CPAP will allow you to get a full night's sleep, Lee. Just keep trying to use it and don't give up. It makes a world of difference in your health, in how you feel and how you function.