tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8857656258564642189.post3713114956524236720..comments2023-09-05T03:26:30.183-07:00Comments on Jessica's Take: Here’s How My Kids Learn ReligionJessica Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07300615199758816175noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8857656258564642189.post-20805834543539561642009-05-26T02:24:15.045-07:002009-05-26T02:24:15.045-07:00That word is "sefirot", no "m"...typo, y'know
BBThat word is "sefirot", no "m"...typo, y'know<br />BBBill Burnetthttp://www.billburnettsongmine.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8857656258564642189.post-16913593220429186902009-05-25T21:36:26.159-07:002009-05-25T21:36:26.159-07:00At the risk of sounding hopelessly pedantic, let m...At the risk of sounding hopelessly pedantic, let me just throw in a few other aspects of Judaism that you may know but also may not: The "goal" of Judaism is "tikkun olam", a Hebrew term that means "repairing the universe". Contrary to popular misconception, the accepted idea of Jewish theologians (and most other religions, by the way) is not that God created a perfect world and everything and everybody in it and in the Bible is perfect. To the contrary, it is that creation went terribly wrong, that the universe was splintered into a million shards, (sefirotm in Hebrew) like a broken mirror, and everything and each of us is one of those broken shards. Our "job" on earth is to put the universe back together, to in essence, make God whole again. (Compare this with the traditional Christian goal of going to heaven, where everything will be perfect. The Jewish goal is to make heaven here on earth. Not attainable, but something to strive for.) So, when your son helped the people whose car was stuck in in the snow, he was participating in the process of repairing the universe, in however small a way. I think it's a very beautiful worldview and one too often overlooked by those who decry Judaism in relatiosnship to Israel's questionable actions or some anecdotal experience they've had with a paricular Jew.Bill Burnetthttp://www.billburnettsongmine.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8857656258564642189.post-9528247431488819172009-05-21T18:37:24.659-07:002009-05-21T18:37:24.659-07:00One of the things I learned in the workshop I took...One of the things I learned in the workshop I took over the past three weeks that I have not been able to get out of my head is this: it's not what we bleive - it's that we believe. Meaning we are creatures who are designed to believe in something greater than ourselves - and we are drawn to participae in that belief. There is something comforting that we all share that. And in some weird way it makes that big spiritual mystery more of a reality. <br /><br />Now, about those dishtowels . . .swebbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07175148269787671656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8857656258564642189.post-71882122370184858042009-05-20T15:28:59.258-07:002009-05-20T15:28:59.258-07:00i started taking mackenzie to church last year. s...i started taking mackenzie to church last year. she likes the social aspect of it. i am not sure if it's so much about learning religion, but experiencing spirituality (aka mitzvah?) that comes from opportunities that arise. for instance, she actually found it FUN to help set up for a pot-luck dinner this weekend. i still find church a perfect place to daydream.paula brinkmanhttp://www.spiritdollsbypaula.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8857656258564642189.post-20634833757842042202009-05-19T20:05:40.950-07:002009-05-19T20:05:40.950-07:00I'm crying now.I'm crying now.Dancin' Davehttp://www.impko.comnoreply@blogger.com