Birthday post! Birthday post!

So, this is how Chassidish I´ve been these last few days.

I was having a class yesterday in the Shul and only one guy showed up. I was telling him about birthright and how one can go on birthright up until 26 years old. He asked me how old I was... I was like "One second, what's today? The 17th of Septemeber? Oh cool! That means that today I just turned 27."

I didn't even remember my own birthday, knowing that my real birthday is tonight, Monday, 20th of Elul... Nunu!

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In other news, there is no news in Cabo. Rosh Hashana is coming and I'm the same grohb yung as yesteryear... Whatever shall I do. I've decided that before I even think about changing my community to become better, I must make myself better. I need to focus on my own growth and ignore the growth of my community. Perhaps even, if I grow in Judaism, my community will automatically follow suit and grow with moi.

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This week will be difficult, as I need to give out new years packages to our entire community. Sonia and myself will be preparing them and I will be running around the whole week giving them out, besides for all the classes that I have this week.

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Anyways, that's pretty much my update for now. It's Sunday morning and there is a children's program this afternoon in Shul. I need to help prepare for it.

Ciao for niao!!

To understand the 'ein sof'

As I woke up to a freezing 'air conditioned' room this morning (outside it's 98f with humidity), my congestion and allergies gave me an analogy to the 'ein sof' that we learn so much about in Chassidus.

A running nose is a moshol to infinity.

It drips and drips and drips and drips, long after I should have scientifically been drained of every particle within my body.

Why the universal boredom?

Iran is preparing to nuke Israel and the world...

And I sit and blog

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Nigerians are being slaughtered in Libya...

And I sit and blog

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The most powerful nation in the world slumps a few billion dollars deeper in debt...

And I sit and blog

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Hurricanes demolish buildings and homes...

And I sit and blog

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Terrorists try to Jihad against global humanitarianism...

And I sit and blog

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What is wrong with me?

How do you explain that #1

I had some really interesting thoughts and discussions these past few days with members of our community.

I've decided that I'd like to write down some of the thoughts and ideas that passed through our conversations while trying to explain and justify various Judaic themes and customs.

So, for my first entry, I go back to several months ago, when we were having the popular debate about men and women mixing in the Synagogue during services.

We were sitting around the Shabbos table in Shul, when one woman brought up the question to Sonia and I, commenting how men and women sitting separate in Shul just doesn't jive well with her and she would feel much more comfortable if the Shul would be more 'family oriented' and less gender segregating.

...

Before I tell over the beautiful explanation that Sonia gave to everyone present, I'd like to dwell and elaborate on the question a bit more... Because truthfully, it's a fantastic question. Something that many Westernized Jews are troubled by.

After such tremendous development and growth in the last few decades with regard to equality for women and family values, where the rigid, extreme differences between the genders have become softened and molded together as one, why must the prayer service come and jeopradize these significant, very beneficial accomplishments.

When men and women come to Shul and must sit separate, with a dividing curtain between the two, it gives a negative impression and perhaps makes both genders feel as if Judaism is still living in a pre-modernized culture... A very real stereotype generally attributed to Chassidic Jews, who seem to be living in a much earlier time period.

So, what is the explanation?

...

Well, I must give credit where it is due, Sonia is the one who nailed the answer right away and I was extremely impressed by it, which is why I've chosen to preserve this answer for eternity, by writing it on m'blawg.

Sonia says the following (paraphrasing):

This common question is all based on a universal misconception of prayer.

With the development of Western culture and general religious theology (apart from the Jewish way of thinking), the concept and meaning of prayer became less about G-d and more about the self.

In other words, when the other religions pray, while indeed they may meditate and create some intimate, personal time to connect with G-d, it is however all about them, their needs and their spiritual fulfillment that is the goal of the prayer. They are covering their own selfish existence with more and more spirituality and love.

In such a circumstance, when you envelop the prayer service in a warm, fuzzy ambiance, then the spiritual achievement and inspirational satisfaction is maximized. If such is the way of your prayers, then by all means, family and friends should be sitting together, lovingly supporting each other in their climb to spiritual greatness. To enforce limits, boundaries and division of communal unity will only hinder the potential blissful experience of the prayers.

That however, is the grave misconception of the Jewish prayer experience.

The Jewish prayer service is a polar opposite to the global opinion.

Prayer is the abnegation of self. It is the time when we meditate on G-d, spirituality and our own life, with the intent of minimizing our ego's. Instead of focusing on filling ourselves up with as much inspiration and spirituality as possible, we 'strip' ourselves from our selfish feelings, losing our 'self-centeredness' to the higher reality of G-d.

When one toils in such matters, he must be left to himself. He is searching the deepest components of his soul and must be left alone. Being around people is harmful and negative to this endeavor.

It is as if prayer is the spiritual locker room of the soul. Just as locker rooms are kept separate between men and women, because each one is exposing him or herself and therefore they need their exclusive privacy, the same is with the soul during prayer. When one undresses his soul of its negativity and selfishness in the prayer locker room, genders cannot mesh and remain together. They must respect each other's space and privacy.

This is the Jewish view of prayer. It is imperative that men and women do not mix and create a false, only selfish feeling of fuzz and spirituality, when in truth, one must remove the layers of selfishness and ego, in order to truly experience the G-dly transformation and become a better person.

***

With that, Sonia silenced the nay-sayers and her husband encountered a new-found appreciation to her wisdom and wit.


Although this is all for tonight, I would still like to write my thoughts on:

• Marriage for love vs. the Jewish way to marriage... Why the Jewish way is holier and works, while the universal, love way has less chance of survival.







• Yishmael's depth vs. Yitzchak's depth and why Judaism is one step deeper than Islam.

Well, that's all for now folks.

g'nite