Jewish Musings Thursday, May 2

[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]

More on this week's Torah portion.

To the ancient Israelites, blood was not just blood. It was symbolic of life itself. The ancient commandment regarding the blood of sacrificial animals went on to become a major aspect of the kashrut rules. Animals that have been ritually slaughtered must have all the blood drained from them before they are acceptable for eating.

Pretty much all the societies surrounding where our ancestors lived also offered sacrifices as part of their worship practices. One main difference, pointed out by many commentators, was about human sacrifice; Judaism always considered it a no-no. But frankly, it never occurred to me that the original offerings were the influence about the dietary laws, kashrut. Whether or not you keep kosher is not the point; the point is that Judaism pays attention to the little things as well as the big things. The phrase "Don't sweat the small stuff" isn't the case in our teachings.

Your comments?

[gazelle18]

Traditional adherents to Judaism definitely “sweat the small stuff.” And this is especially true when it comes to kashrut. For example, some Jews will only eat a vegetable like broccoli after it has been inspected for bugs by trusted community member. I was once instructed that fish was not eaten on the same plate as meat, even though fish is pareve. I believe that some people will not eat an egg which contains even a tiny prick of blood when cracked open, even though the egg will be thoroughly cooked. I could go on and on….

Personally, I think this attention to small details takes away from spirituality.

[louise]

Passover preparation is an exercise in details. I can see the point about it taking away from spirituality if the details become the whole focus but it could be that having a clear path may help some of us to get there.

[peachymom1]

I don't think it has to be an either/or as far as spirituality goes. I think that taking care to pay close attention to something that's meaningful to you can boost spirituality. What I find dismaying is when people get so focused on details that they (a) treat others with contempt (or worse) for not believing/behaving the same way they do; or (b) make one area of religion so much bigger than the whole that the underlying tenets get muddled or lost. Neither A nor B is a good way to be Jewish, IMO.

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well and SAFE! Please pray for Israel.

Re today's topic and comments: I think you're all right.

Have a peaceful day, Lee