Jewish Musings Wednesday, May 1

[hollygail]

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!

[hollygail]

Lynne, to the best of my knowledge, the separations of sexes in services isn't "mandated" in Torah. I haven't come across it yet in Talmud, but I'm only a little more than 4/7 of my way through reading a page a day...

Can we take a look at this week's Torah portion? It's called Acharei Mot (After the Death [of Aaron's two sons]). Most of the time, it's paired with next week's reading, Kedoshim (Holiness). This year is a leap year on the Jewish (or Hebrew) calendar, so the portions that are typically paired with each other each gets its own week. Here's a summary (with thanks to Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin who has given me permission to teach from his book, JPS B'Nai Mitzvah / Torah Commentary). The portion is found in Leviticus 16:1 – 18:30.
• The Torah describes the ancient rituals of Yom Kippur. The High Priest symbolically transfers the people’s sins to a goat and sends that goat (the scapegoat) into the wilderness. He also purges the ancient sanctuary itself of the people’s sins. (16:1–34)
• The Israelites are commanded regarding sacrifices, with the explicit instruction not to consume blood when they eat the sacrificial animals. (17:1–16)
• Don’t be an Egyptian (or a Canaanite)! The Israelites are commanded regarding various ancient Canaanite practices, including child sacrifice. They also learn the laws of sexual behavior. (18:1–30)

And yes, in chapter 18 is the business of a man not "being" with another man that so many horrendous people who know nothing at all of Torah interpret INCORRECTLY to mean homosexuality (which, according to Jewish sources, really has to do with other religions at the time where worshippers had sex with the priest or priestess, and nothing whatsoever to do with homosexual love).

One concept Salkin points out is that the ancient Israelites believed that sins had a physical reality. The sins were not just something that was spiritual. And the Israelites believed that the scapegoat actually carried real sins away. And the sins of the people actually stained the sanctuary itself. And of course the part about the scapegoat is generally read on Yom Kippur in many synagogues.

And yes, this is where the concept of "scapegoat" comes from. Have you ever scapegoated someone? Have you ever been scapegoated? What was it like? Why do you think Jews are (and/or Israel is) still being scapegoated today?

[gazelle18]

Today, I think that Israel is being scapegoated. One factor in constructing a scapegoat scenario is that the scapegoated person (country) should be an easy target. Jews have historically been an easy target because we are few in number, keep to ourselves (historically) , and have our own unique way of doing things.

In many ways, Israel is an easy target. It is small, with few friends. It’s Jewish, so many people believe it is fair game. And because it is aggressive in protecting itself, anyone who gets in its way can call itself a victim.

[peachymom1]

A good friend's mom is in the ICU and is unconscious. I've known this friend since high school - she went to elementary school with DH, in fact, so the families knew each other. Anyway, her mom is 92 and has Alzheimer's, and my friend is pretty much a wreck right now. I'm going to take her some sandwiches and fruit when I'm done working, and just hang out with her for a while.

About Jews and Israel and scapegoating, I am so disheartened by the state of the world right now that I just want to curl up in a ball in my bed and stay there!

[lee058]

peachymom1, Re Jews and Israel and scapegoating, I hear you. Loud and clear.