#Jewish values

[etz-ashashiyot]

So what’s the modern interpretation of the laws about keeping slaves? I’ve heard that said laws where a lot more kind to slaves then the surrounding nations but, like, it’s still slavery?

Hi anon,

With Pesach coming up, I'm sure that this question is on a lot of people's minds. It's a good question and many rabbanim throughout history have attempted to tackle it. Especially today, with slavery being seen as a moral anathema in most societies (obviously this despite the fact that unfortunately slavery is still a very real human rights crisis all over the world), addressing the parts of the Torah that on the surface seem to condone it becomes a moral imperative.

It's worth noting that the Jewish world overall condemns slavery. In my research for this question, I came across zero modern sources arguing that slavery is totally fine. I'm sure that if you dug deep enough there's some fringe wacko somewhere arguing this, but every group has its batshit fringe.

Here are some sources across the political and religious observance spectrum that explain it better than I could:

Chabad (this article is written by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a wonderful rabbi whose words I have learned deeply over the years. He is one of my favorite rabbis despite not seeing eye to eye with a lot of the Chabad movement)

Conservative (to be clear: this is my movement; it's not actually politically conservative in most shuls, just poorly named. We desperately need to bully them into calling themselves Masorti Olami like the rest of the world. It's [essentially] a liberal traditional egalitarian movement.)

Conservative pt. 2 (different rabbi's take)

Reform (note that this is from the Haberman Institute, which was founded by a Reform rabbi. Link is to a YouTube recording of a recent lecture on the topic.)

Chareidi (this rabbi is an official rabbi of the Western Wall in Israel, so in a word, very frum)

Modern Orthodox

I want to highlight this last one, because it is written by the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Chovevei, which is a progressive Modern Orthodox rabbinical school. They work very hard to read Torah through an authentically Orthodox lens while also maintaining deeply humanist values. As someone who walks a similar (if not identical) balancing act, this particular drash (sermon) spoke very deeply to me, and so I'm reposting it in its entirety**

[Edit: tumblr.hell seems real intent on not letting me do this in my original answer, so I will repost it in the reblogs. Please reblog that version if you're going to. Thanks!]

Something you will probably notice as you work your way through these sources, you'll note that there are substantially more traditional leaning responses. This is because of a major divide in how the different movements view Torah, especially as it pertains to changing ethics over time and modernity. I'm oversimplifying for space, but the differences are as follows:

The liberal movements (Reform, Renewal, Reconstructionist, etc.) view halacha as non-binding and the Torah as a human document that is, nevertheless, a sacred document. I've seen it described as the spiritual diary of our people throughout history. Others view it as divinely inspired, but still essentially and indelibly human.

The Orthodox and other traditional movements view halacha as binding and Torah as the direct word of G-d given to the Jewish people through Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses) on Mt. Sinai. (Or, at a minimum, as a divinely inspired text written and compiled by people that still represents the word of G-d. This latter view is mostly limited to the Conservative and Modern Orthodox movements.)

Because of these differences, the liberal movements are able to address most of these problematic passages by situating them in their proper historical context. It is only the Orthodox and traditional movements that must fully reckon with the texts as they are, and seek to understand how they speak to us in a contemporary context.

As for me? I'm part of a narrow band of traditional egalitarian progressive Jews that really ride that line between viewing halacha as binding and the Torah as divinely given, despite recognizing the human component of its authorship - more a partnership in its creation than either fully human invention or divine fiat. That said, I am personally less interested in who wrote it literally speaking and much more interested in the question of: How can we read Torah using the divinely given process of traditional Torah scholarship while applying deeply humanist values?

Yeshivat Chovevei does a really excellent job of approaching Torah scholarship this way, as does Hadar. Therefore, I'm not surprised that this article captures something I have struggled to articulate: an authentically orthodox argument for change.

[tilting-at-windmills]

An old joke: A man asks his rabbi, “Why do Jews always answer a question with a question?” And the rabbi replies, “How should we answer?”

x

[mental-mona]

When I take part in a Seder service on Passover, telling the story of the book of Exodus, I am not engaged in a cultural act like watching a film or reading a book about it. I am enacting it, making it part of me. On Passover, the Exodus ceases to be mere history and becomes memory: not something that happened somewhere else to someone else long ago, but something that is happening to me, here, now. It defines me as part of that story, linking me to a community of others in different places and times. It changes me, for I now know what it feels and tastes like to be oppressed, and I can no longer walk by when others are oppressed. People who have lived the seder service are different for having done so, and the world is different because of them. It is why there were so many Jews (Joe Slovo, Albie Sachs, Joel Joffe, Helen Suzman, Nadine Gordimer, and others) in the fight against apartheid, and why Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marched with Martin Luther King Jr.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l, The Great Partnership, Chapter 10, p. 172

[alllexxx3]

How beautiful are the feet of the herald on the mountains, announcing peace, heralding good tidings, announcing salvation, saying to Zion, "Your G-d has manifested His kingdom."

Isaiah 52:7

[dadyomi]

Monday 12/26, Nedarim 62: too cleaver by half

Setting aside the humor for a moment, this is one of those core values of Judaism that I love, which is the doing of things for the sake of them. It's well and good to honor the Torah scholar, but best to do it for love and not for honor -- and not to do what you don't love. Sometimes we have to, of course, but when given the choice we should do what we do out of love of doing. The honor, as a later passage says, will follow.

[menachem-bluming]

Menachem Bluming Muses: Why Is Becoming Jewishly Observant So Difficult?

There is a story told by the great chassidic teachers, and it goes like this. 

There was once a simple villager who won the lottery. In the olden days, this meant literally winning a pot of gold. So with excitement and anticipation, he set out on foot for a three day journey to the big city to collect his winnings.  

When he came to the lottery office and saw his prize, he realized he could not possibly carry such a heavy pot of gold home. So with some of his new wealth he hired a wagon driver with a strong horse to carry him and his pot back to the village.

The journey took several hours. Along the way they stopped off at the side of the road for a little rest. The wagon driver parked the wagon in what seemed to be a safe spot and the villager had a little nap under a tree.  

Refreshed and ready to go, they jumped back onto the wagon to continue the journey. But after a short while the wagon driver stopped and said, "I think your pot of gold has been stolen." The villager quickly went to check. To his great distress he saw that indeed the pot was gone.

The villager immediately turned suspiciously to the wagon driver and asked him accusingly, "How did you know that the pot was stolen without even looking into the back of the wagon?"

The wagon driver answered, "It was obvious. When we were traveling earlier, before we stopped for a break, the horse was struggling under the heavy load. But since we resumed our journey the horse is galloping so easily and effortlessly, I could tell that he's not pulling a heavy weight any more. Only an empty load is easy to carry. When you have a pot of gold in your wagon, it takes effort to carry it."

The same applies to us. When life seems tough, when we need to put in effort and struggle to keep on moving, it means that we are carrying a treasure on our back. The smooth and easy times may be pleasant, but they are not as rewarding. The riches of life come from hard work.

So keep pulling the load. And be thankful for it. Only a horse is happy with an empty wagon. A life of Torah and Mitzvot is a full life, like carrying a pot of gold. 

Mendel (Menachem) Bluming and Rabbi A”M and other sources

[jchcoporg]

Celebrate Jewish Heritage Month with JCHC

May is Jewish Heritage Month. At JCHC we honor the Jewish tradition and values. These values we live by are Chesed (kindness/love), Kavod (respect), Tikkun olam (repairing the world) and Tzedakah (charity).  While we are rooted in Jewish values, we welcome seniors of all faiths and backgrounds into our family. Visit us at  https://jchcorp.org/.

[immaculatasknight]

Stop the madness

[maromorg]

Jewish Tradition

Jewish tradition refers to the set of beliefs, customs, and practices that have been passed down through generations of Jewish people. These traditions are deeply rooted in the history and culture of the Jewish people, and play an important role in shaping their identity and way of life. Some of the key elements of Jewish traditions include:

Monotheism: Jews believe in one God who created the universe and continues to be actively involved in the world.

Torah: The Torah is the central text of Judaism, consisting of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. It contains the core teachings and commandments of Judaism.

Mitzvot: Mitzvot are the commandments or laws that are derived from the Torah and other Jewish texts. They cover a wide range of areas, including prayer, charity, dietary restrictions, and ethical behavior.

Shabbat: Shabbat is the weekly day of rest and spiritual rejuvenation that begins on Friday evening and ends on Saturday evening. It is a time for families and communities to come together and celebrate their faith.

Holidays: Jewish tradition includes a calendar of holidays and festivals that commemorate important events in Jewish history, such as Passover, Hanukkah, and Yom Kippur.

Synagogue: The synagogue is the central gathering place for Jewish worship and community life. It is where Jews come together to pray, study, and celebrate.

Tzedakah: Tzedakah is the Jewish concept of charitable giving, and is seen as an important part of Jewish tradition. It is considered a mitzvah, or a commandment, to give to those in need.

[jewreallythinkthat]

I love you Jews in my phone ♥️

I am gently kissing you all on the foreheads and telling you it will be ok; I am feeding you challah and chicken soup, and hamantaschen

[butchmartyr]

ultimately you have to remember that complaining about "4chan white trans women who are bigoted and so and so" is almost entirely pointless for any purpose aside from raising transmisogynistic sentiments in observers. this specter of an evil tranny is constantly looming despite the individuals being rare and often total shut ins, and people expect transfems to take this shit seriously and be constantly swearing off association with """bad people""". these people, when they do exist, by and large lack the power to actually do anything with their beliefs; obviously if they do it sucks but this idea that there are trans women ~getting away with it~ and that all transfem communities allow and hide this behavior is blatantly transmisogynistic in addition to often being completely imagined! its insane to act like you have to choose between resisting white supremacy and resisting transmisogyny, and yet, people wind up continually portraying it as this

[alllexxx3]

...straighten out in the wilderness... Isaiah, 40:3

[steveyockey]

I think more than the message that “Zionism is NOT Judaism” which is true but rings hollow to me I would like to see people embracing the fact that Zionism directly contradicts many Jewish values and that anti-Zionist Jews see their faith as inherently connected to their activism against the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. I was taught to be anti-Zionist largely by Jewish friends and comrades and I continue to lean on them for guidance and clarity as they bravely stand against the propaganda their institutions foisted on them from the moment they were born. In return I work to fulfill the promise that I will make them feel safe in any place, not just the occupied land they were raised to see as the only home where they would not face anti-Semitism. the fight for a free Palestine and the fight for a world where Jewish people can exist without fear are intrinsically linked and must be pursued together

[menachem-bluming]

Menachem Bluming Muses: How’s Business?

If a business focuses only on cash flow, it can easily fail. The cash flow may be fine and yet the business falling off a cliff, G-d forbid. We are in the final Jewish month of the year. This month is called the month of accounting.

In Judaism cash flow is your daily actions. Being honest, saying a blessing, Tefillin, mezuzah, kosher food, honoring parents, tzedakah etc. That is making sure that your Jewish cash flow is okay and that is important.

Once a year we step back and revisit the mission of the Business, the purpose of our lives. Am I advancing in the type of person I should be? Am I guiding my children toward their G-d-given destiny? Am I serving others as I should? Am I a worthwhile investment for the Almighty?

On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we are judged, during this month we review our business and make sure that it is heading in a great direction.

May G-d bless you with a sweet and prosperous new year materially and spiritually!

Mendel (Menachem) Bluming based on Hayom Yom