Anyway, when the menfolk came back, Dad, who just had his DNA testing to prove he's a cohain, talked it up to the Mohel. The Mohel was upset that Brian hadn't mentioned it before and he added it to the certificate. Brian doesn't talk about it for many reasons, primarily because he feels that it's segregationist, elitist, snobbish, and classist. The reason he tells people is that the Chabad Rabbi (who he's never listened to in his life) told him that if he married a convert, he forfitted the rights of the cohain. The Mohail and the Rabbi were horrified. It does mean you can't serve in the Temple, but it doesn't change WHO YOU ARE! They kept explaining.
Dad was vindicated. He's been trying to tell Brian that for ages. Of course this doesn't address Brian's real issues, but it amused hoppie anyway.
There was much Chabad bashing at the Bris.
Hoppie was amused by that. I was less amused. I feel like I owe Chabad quite a bit in terms of personal debt, but I'm no stranger to Chabad bashing. When I was in college, Marc read me an article quoting a Rabbi who said when asked, "If your son didn't want to be Jewish, what religion would you be okay with him being?"
"Chabad." answered the Rabbi.
Hoppie, who knows how I feel about Chabad, and knows how much I hate the Jewish infighting in general (although not in the same way as Brian) reminded me of the story on the way home.
...Chabad is a branch of what some people call "ultra orthodox" although I find that term offensive as well. They're a branch of Chassidim. I know you know some of this, but bear with me a minute. The Chassidic movement took a look at the village life in Eastern Europe (this is well preHolocaust) and decided that it lacked the joy in service of G-d. There had been a heavily influence of scientificly motivated and extremely well-educatated Jews that had profoundly influenced the rational and exporatory side of the religion, while nearly ignoring the Spiritual. It wasn't unusual, of course, the scientific Jews were under the same influences as Voltaire and Russo, but instead of loosing or breaking faith, they integrated it, much as you have done your whole life. But of course, the problem comes when you concentrate on any single area, to the exclusion of others, eventually the pendulum will swing back to pick up the things you missed. This missing ache in Judiasm found voice in a very charismatic traveler known today as the Ba'al Shem Tov. His discipline in Judaism focused on the lost mysticism and on appreciating G-d through the world and nature. He's the "Romantics" answer to the "Enlightenment" days, if I may play fast and loose with my analogies. Anyway, Chassidus spread like wildfire to a people who had been taught rationalism from birth and who lived somewhat dreary existances. Eventually, they became fragmented in the schools each following a different Rabbi or teacher. Chabad is a branch devoted to trying to trying, as most Chassidus branches are, to marry the two sides of the Jew, the rational and the romantic and bring balance by teaching both laws and the scientific study methods of the non-Chassidic world, and the mysticism of Kabbalah, and the natural world.
Dad was vindicated. He's been trying to tell Brian that for ages. Of course this doesn't address Brian's real issues, but it amused hoppie anyway.
There was much Chabad bashing at the Bris.
Hoppie was amused by that. I was less amused. I feel like I owe Chabad quite a bit in terms of personal debt, but I'm no stranger to Chabad bashing. When I was in college, Marc read me an article quoting a Rabbi who said when asked, "If your son didn't want to be Jewish, what religion would you be okay with him being?"
"Chabad." answered the Rabbi.
Hoppie, who knows how I feel about Chabad, and knows how much I hate the Jewish infighting in general (although not in the same way as Brian) reminded me of the story on the way home.
...Chabad is a branch of what some people call "ultra orthodox" although I find that term offensive as well. They're a branch of Chassidim. I know you know some of this, but bear with me a minute. The Chassidic movement took a look at the village life in Eastern Europe (this is well preHolocaust) and decided that it lacked the joy in service of G-d. There had been a heavily influence of scientificly motivated and extremely well-educatated Jews that had profoundly influenced the rational and exporatory side of the religion, while nearly ignoring the Spiritual. It wasn't unusual, of course, the scientific Jews were under the same influences as Voltaire and Russo, but instead of loosing or breaking faith, they integrated it, much as you have done your whole life. But of course, the problem comes when you concentrate on any single area, to the exclusion of others, eventually the pendulum will swing back to pick up the things you missed. This missing ache in Judiasm found voice in a very charismatic traveler known today as the Ba'al Shem Tov. His discipline in Judaism focused on the lost mysticism and on appreciating G-d through the world and nature. He's the "Romantics" answer to the "Enlightenment" days, if I may play fast and loose with my analogies. Anyway, Chassidus spread like wildfire to a people who had been taught rationalism from birth and who lived somewhat dreary existances. Eventually, they became fragmented in the schools each following a different Rabbi or teacher. Chabad is a branch devoted to trying to trying, as most Chassidus branches are, to marry the two sides of the Jew, the rational and the romantic and bring balance by teaching both laws and the scientific study methods of the non-Chassidic world, and the mysticism of Kabbalah, and the natural world.
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