Jewish Musings, Tuesday, 10/1

[louise]

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:
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!

[louise]

So let’s do some High Holy Day talk today.

Unetaneh Tokef is one of the very profound prayers in our High Holy Day liturgy. It talks about who shall die by fire, who by this, who by that and so on. At the end we say the (Literal) but repentance, prayer and tzedakah [righteousness] avert [or transform] the severity [evil] of the decree.
(Mahzor Hadash) But repentance, prayer, and deeds of kindness can remove the severity of the decree.
(Mahzor Lev Shalem) But T’shuvah, T’fillah and Tz’dakah have the power to transform the harshness of our destiny.

In a book I have talked about before, This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared, Rabbi Alan Lew, as always, has an interesting take:

“The liturgy is obviously derived from the Talmudic story about the three books. Both claim that righteous deeds, prayer and turning (changing one’s behavior in the first case, and Teshuvah in the second) will modify the Divine Decree that has been issued on Rosh Hashanah, but the operative verbs are strikingly different. The Talmud claims that these activities will actually cause the decree to be torn up (ma’akirin). That which was decreed to happen will not in fact happen. The liturgy, however, makes a very different claim, namely that prayer, righteousness, and Teshuvah will not change what happens to us; rather, they will change us. We will understand what happens differently. These activities will not tear up the decree; rather they will transform (ma’avirin) the evil of the decree. Spiritual practice won’t change what happens. Rather, it will help us to experience what happens not as evil, but simply as what happens. Spiritual practice will help us to understand that everything that happens, even the decree of death, flows from God.”

Heavy, I know!
Thoughts?

[peachymom1]

I always chafe a bit at the idea of things being predestined or decreed, but I do definitely identify with the idea of our behavior having an effect on US. We always have the choice of deciding what kind of people we want to be, what kind of values we stand for, and how we respond when people need us. I think that is the strength of the Jewish people.

[gazelle18]

As a child, I shuddered at the words of this prayer. The concept that our actions, our turning, transforms NOT the decree, but the perceived harshness of the decree, absolutely resonates with me as a mature adult.

I am watching the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, especially in NC , where I know people and the area quite well. No amount of praying can change the effects of nature. Some people literally did die by fire, by water, etc. The idea that we can temper the effects bad things have on us is an idea which I cherish.

[lee058]

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

Re today's topic: I prefer to believe in free will over predestination. That being said, I do believe that God has a plan although we don't know what it is. Contradictory, I know.

Have a peaceful day, Lee