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Post by hollygail on Dec 11, 2023 9:20:10 GMT -5
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:
Frieda (hopefully)?
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy
And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!
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Post by hollygail on Dec 11, 2023 9:34:07 GMT -5
Today is the 4th day of Chanukah (five candles tonight). The Torah reading for today lists the gifts brought to the moveable sanctuary in the wilderness by two of the 12 tribes. Each tribe brings exactly the same offerings. Why is it necessary to spend 12 separate "paragraphs" that say the same thing? Why not just say "these are the offerings to be brought; each tribe shall bring the same ones"?
The late Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says it's to remind us that each person's part is equal to each other person's part. How much equality do you see in your life? Once upon a time, I was the equivalent of the "stage manager" for High Holy Days. I didn't deal with leading the services (that was the job of the rabbi and cantor), but I oversaw all the English readings by members of the congregation and finding Torah readers, Torah honorees, haftarah readers, etc. (That includes deciding in advance to whom to offer which honors, copying readings from the siddur to mail to individuals, sealing the envelopes, etc., and then on the day of the service in question walking through the room to check whether the readers were ready to go to the front of the room on cue to be called up by the rabbi...) After how many years of running around (and eating lots of chocolate at home), it became broken into sections, and different groups of people did different parts of what I'd been doing alone (or with only one other member, my still good friend John). Why was it necessary for me to do everything? Because I needed for everything to be done correctly.
Gimme a break. I'm not the only human being on earth, and as it turns out not the only human being at my shul, who has the ability to do all those jobs. Everyone has to chip in, or else nothing gets done.
In your life, what do you see as equal sharing of responsibilities? Do some neighbors recycle and others throw everything into the trash? [etc.]
Peachy asked yesterday about what connection I was trying to make between the 30 rights listed and the Jews and/or Israel. Here it is: While I imagine many if not most people on planet earth would agree general with the 30, do they also agree that the named human rights are also the rights of Jews? of Israel?
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Post by louise on Dec 11, 2023 10:54:17 GMT -5
I believe it was me that asked the question about the relationship of Jews to these rights. So you were asking if people that agree with these rights think they should be (or are) accorded to everyone? To me pretty much by definition they should be accorded universally but I understand what is being asked.
I don't know why people have, or choose to have, different senses of entitlement and differenent senses of communal responsibility. Most people in our synagogue are willing, for instance, to help with clean up after an event but some may need prompting and/or instruction and some just make themselves available to do whatever is needed. There are times when I find myself doing things alone and I know I need to go enlist some people and have to consider that maybe I "trained" them that I will take care of this or that. Ugh. A tricky place sometimes to find balance in.
Currently I am very confused about whether to go on the volunteer trip to Israel. There is one couple considering it and no others. I would have to sign up to go alone. I would like to decide today as the departure date is in 4 weeks and there things I would need to attend to in preparation..
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lee058
This space for rent
Posts: 23,285 
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Post by lee058 on Dec 11, 2023 11:10:04 GMT -5
Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well and SAFE! Please pray for Israel.
I have been busy all morning dealing with pharmacies and doctors on the phone. UGH!! Need I say more? I just hope it all gets worked out well.
We had a little snow last night, also UGH!! I am not used to this any more. Thank goodness it is melting (temps are in the 40's); I asked DS if he would brush off the car if necessary, and he said okay. Whew!
Re today's topic: In my family, we all do what we can. I especially like it when we all cook together, as I've mentioned many times.
As for senses of entitlement, I think most people have them in one way or another. Some are generous in some ways, while others aren't. What's different is how people change over time.
Have a peaceful day, Lee
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Post by gazelle18 on Dec 11, 2023 12:07:13 GMT -5
I find I often have to “check my privilege .” I’m an older white person who is used to having things done the way I like them. Sometimes I recognize that I’m acting like I’m entitled to special treatment. Usually a stern self-talk brings me back to earth.
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Post by peachymom1 on Dec 11, 2023 14:16:03 GMT -5
We used to tell the kids that since there were five of us in the family, each of us was responsible for 1/5 of the housework. Whenever anyone complained, someone would remind them that they were only responsible for 1/5 of the work, no more, no less. Somehow that made it sound manageable to everyone.
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