I woke up at camp this morning, after it rained last night, the morning was beautiful. It was early 5:00am, I went back to sleep until 6:30 and woke up feeling great.
Since I still had time until Morning Prayer I decided to read. So I picked up a new book called “The perks of being a Wallflower” this book has been recommended to me by many, many people, but it wasn’t until I saw it on the list books by a fellow writer who I have respect for that I decided to pick it up. Funny how I’ve come to consider myself a writer, after spending so much time pretending that I knew how to write. The book is wonderful I quickly read to the end of part one.
Then I showered, prayed in my first conservative minion (it was interesting) and went to breakfast. Camp is starting to become fun, god willing that will continue. I’ve been trying to remember and meditate on the teachings of Rebbe Nachman who said that simcha (joy) is the highest level of serving hakadosh baruch hu.
Boker tov!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A little bit more then 140 characters
140 characters or less, that’s how many words you get to express yourself on twitter. When I heard about this idea, this product I was skeptical, in fact I still am. But It also got me thinking one hundred and forty characters… Shakespeare said brevity is the soul of whit. Yet I can’t help thinking we’ve stumbled across something evil here. Is it another step down the disposable society road? Yes of course but it also (can be) a fluid instantaneous expression.
140 characters:
140 characters or less, that’s how many words you get to express yourself on twitter. When I heard about this idea, I was skeptical, in fact I still am. But It
That’s 140 characters.
I’m a person who (generally) trusts my first assessment. Read Blink by Malcom Gladwell for more on this idea which he calls rapid cognition.
It’s an interesting thought; we’ve come to trust our own powers of reasoning so much that we forget something, our frontal lobe is young, it is still in the testing stages of its evolution. It hasn’t proven if it has staying power (please see “The Arrogance of Humanism” by David W. Ehrenfeld).
You could also argue that we’ve come so far as a society that’s we’ve gone (not literally) backwards. Our ability to communicate has been refined to how we can best communicate in short quick bursts. It makes my head hurt.
It has great potential, it can do this:
Allah O Akbar!
Andrew Sullivan writes this about it:
That a new information technology could be improvised for this purpose so swiftly is a sign of the times. It reveals in Iran what the Obama campaign revealed in the United States. You cannot stop people any longer. You cannot control them any longer. They can bypass your established media; they can broadcast to one another; they can organize as never before.
It's increasingly clear that Ahmadinejad and the old guard mullahs were caught off-guard by this technology and how it helped galvanize the opposition movement in the last few weeks. That's why they didn't see what those of us surgically attached to modems could spot a mile away: something was happening in Iran. If Drum is right , the mullahs believed their own propaganda about victory until reality hit them so hard so fast, they miscalculated badly and over-reached.
The key force behind this is the next generation, the Millennials, who elected Obama in America and may oust Ahmadinejad in Iran. They want freedom; they are sick of lies; they enjoy life and know hope.
This generation will determine if the world can avoid the apocalypse that will come if the fear-ridden establishments continue to dominate global politics, motivated by terror, armed with nukes, and playing old but now far too dangerous games. This generation will not bypass existing institutions and methods: look at the record turnout in Iran and the massive mobilization of the young and minority vote in the US. But they will use technology to displace old modes and orders. Maybe this revolt will be crushed. But even if it is, the genie has escaped this Islamist bottle.
Maybe that's what we're hearing on the rooftops of Tehran: the sound of the next revolution
Allah O Akbar!
Shema Israel!
Viva La Revolution!
140 characters:
140 characters or less, that’s how many words you get to express yourself on twitter. When I heard about this idea, I was skeptical, in fact I still am. But It
That’s 140 characters.
I’m a person who (generally) trusts my first assessment. Read Blink by Malcom Gladwell for more on this idea which he calls rapid cognition.
It’s an interesting thought; we’ve come to trust our own powers of reasoning so much that we forget something, our frontal lobe is young, it is still in the testing stages of its evolution. It hasn’t proven if it has staying power (please see “The Arrogance of Humanism” by David W. Ehrenfeld).
You could also argue that we’ve come so far as a society that’s we’ve gone (not literally) backwards. Our ability to communicate has been refined to how we can best communicate in short quick bursts. It makes my head hurt.
It has great potential, it can do this:
Allah O Akbar!
Andrew Sullivan writes this about it:
That a new information technology could be improvised for this purpose so swiftly is a sign of the times. It reveals in Iran what the Obama campaign revealed in the United States. You cannot stop people any longer. You cannot control them any longer. They can bypass your established media; they can broadcast to one another; they can organize as never before.
It's increasingly clear that Ahmadinejad and the old guard mullahs were caught off-guard by this technology and how it helped galvanize the opposition movement in the last few weeks. That's why they didn't see what those of us surgically attached to modems could spot a mile away: something was happening in Iran. If Drum is right , the mullahs believed their own propaganda about victory until reality hit them so hard so fast, they miscalculated badly and over-reached.
The key force behind this is the next generation, the Millennials, who elected Obama in America and may oust Ahmadinejad in Iran. They want freedom; they are sick of lies; they enjoy life and know hope.
This generation will determine if the world can avoid the apocalypse that will come if the fear-ridden establishments continue to dominate global politics, motivated by terror, armed with nukes, and playing old but now far too dangerous games. This generation will not bypass existing institutions and methods: look at the record turnout in Iran and the massive mobilization of the young and minority vote in the US. But they will use technology to displace old modes and orders. Maybe this revolt will be crushed. But even if it is, the genie has escaped this Islamist bottle.
Maybe that's what we're hearing on the rooftops of Tehran: the sound of the next revolution
Allah O Akbar!
Shema Israel!
Viva La Revolution!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
One curious(and insightful) Jew
The following post contains almost none of my own words. I wrote a post entitled ‘People and places’ last week and received a response that I felt compelled to answer from a wonderful writer who I’ve been following for a long time, you can find a link to her blog “The Curious Jew” on my sidebar. This is what she starts with:
I got the source of the idea for that idea from Paul Johnson’s ‘A History of the Jews’, it is located in part two: Judaism, page 83, please note my emphasis in bold and comment in italics:
“Hence it was during the Exile that ordinary Jews were first disciplined into the regular practice of their religion. Circumcision, which distinguished them ineffaceably from the surrounding pagans, was insisted upon rigorously, and the act became a ceremony and so part of the Jewish life cycle and liturgy. The concept of the Sabbath, strongly reinforced by what they learned from Babylonian astronomy, because the focus of the Jewish week …The Jewish year was now for the first time punctuated by the regular feasts: Passover celebrated the founding of the Jewish nation; Pentecost the giving of the laws, that is the founding of their religion; Tabernacles, the wanderings in the desert where nation and religion were brought together; and as the consciousness of individual responsibility sank into their hearts, the Jews began to celebrate too the New Year in memory of creation, and the Day of Atonement in anticipation of judgment. Again, Babylonian science and calendrical skills helped to regularize and institutionalize this annual religious framework. It was in exile that the rules of faith began to seem all-important: rules of purity, of cleanliness, of diet. The laws were now studied, read aloud, memorized. It is probably from this time that we get the Deuteronomic injunction(the first paragraph of the Shema): ‘These commandments which I give you this day are to be kept in your heart; you shall repeat them to your sons, and speak of them indoors and out of doors, when you lie down and where you rise. Bind them as a sign on the hand and wear them as a phylactery on the forehead; write them on the doorposts of your homes and your gates.” In exile the Jews, deprived of a state, became a nomocracy – voluntary submitting to rule by a Law which could only be enforced by consent. Nothing like this had occurred before in history.”
I’ll let The Curious Jew bring me home:
“So you may be interested to know that is very much the theme of Judaism! Our nationhood is predicated upon our choice to dedicate ourselves to God, our keeping of Torah and mitzvot, no matter where we are throughout the world. We have sustained ourselves as a nation throughout the world for centuries, and while Israel is a fantastic place and wonderful for the Jews, if God forbid it should ever fall, it would not mean the end of the Jews.” – Chana
I got the source of the idea for that idea from Paul Johnson’s ‘A History of the Jews’, it is located in part two: Judaism, page 83, please note my emphasis in bold and comment in italics:
“Hence it was during the Exile that ordinary Jews were first disciplined into the regular practice of their religion. Circumcision, which distinguished them ineffaceably from the surrounding pagans, was insisted upon rigorously, and the act became a ceremony and so part of the Jewish life cycle and liturgy. The concept of the Sabbath, strongly reinforced by what they learned from Babylonian astronomy, because the focus of the Jewish week …The Jewish year was now for the first time punctuated by the regular feasts: Passover celebrated the founding of the Jewish nation; Pentecost the giving of the laws, that is the founding of their religion; Tabernacles, the wanderings in the desert where nation and religion were brought together; and as the consciousness of individual responsibility sank into their hearts, the Jews began to celebrate too the New Year in memory of creation, and the Day of Atonement in anticipation of judgment. Again, Babylonian science and calendrical skills helped to regularize and institutionalize this annual religious framework. It was in exile that the rules of faith began to seem all-important: rules of purity, of cleanliness, of diet. The laws were now studied, read aloud, memorized. It is probably from this time that we get the Deuteronomic injunction(the first paragraph of the Shema): ‘These commandments which I give you this day are to be kept in your heart; you shall repeat them to your sons, and speak of them indoors and out of doors, when you lie down and where you rise. Bind them as a sign on the hand and wear them as a phylactery on the forehead; write them on the doorposts of your homes and your gates.” In exile the Jews, deprived of a state, became a nomocracy – voluntary submitting to rule by a Law which could only be enforced by consent. Nothing like this had occurred before in history.”
I’ll let The Curious Jew bring me home:
“And the answer is exactly as you said: the core of the religion, God and His people. We are a nation predicated, not upon time and space, but upon ourselves- how we act, the ethics, morals and virtues laid out for us...this is what makes us Jewish.”
She's good...
Just read that you are on your way to camp---even tho you will be working and learning about camp life--I also want you to relax, enjoy the summer, have FUN--delay beibng introspective til the fall-- Life is complicated enough, so take time to have a ball-- Life can be beautiful, be young , dance and sing and be merry-- There will be kids there who will be nervous, make them laugh!! That will be a Mitzvot. Have a Good Shabbat.
LOve you so, Gram XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
LOve you so, Gram XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The agony and the ecstasy
Excitement and dread, ecstasy and agony, the extreme poles of human emotion, I feel them all, more acutely then ever at the moment. I’m getting ready to go to camp for the summer and I couldn’t be more conflicted. I’m content with my life at the moment, any minor complaints are simply that minor and ultimately trivial, yet the human condition being what it is, I feel overwhelmed, because the thing is, I’ve never been to camp before…yes you read that right, I’ve never been to camp before.
I never had any desire as a child to go and now at the age of twenty five, I’m getting ready for a summer filled with camp and I’m just not sure what to do about it. I mean I just got here, I’m just a month and a half into living in Boston, I’m just starting to feel comfortable where I am and now I’m about to be somewhere else.
What I know is this, after the summer is over I’ll have a few quiet months at work, I’ll have time then to pursue my larger goals and for now I need to accept that this summer is part of those larger goals, it can just be difficult to see at times. I knew when I accepted this job that this was part of the deal: devote the summer to your job in exchange for getting September almost completely off for the Jewish holidays, getting leave early every Shabbat. In exchange for living, eating, breathing, sleeping amongst Jews all the time.
I told my father, thus far, since college / Birthright every decision I’ve made has focused around only one thing. When I moved to New York after college it was because I wanted to live in a Jewish community for the first time in my life. When I picked up everything and went to Israel is was because I wanted to do some serious learning and connect with Eretz Israel in a deeper way. When I took the job with camp it was because I’d be in a place where no one would question my Jewishness, which truth be told, was and is still a big issue for me. A good friend remarked one time ‘gosh you’re just Jewish, you’re not coming out of the closet or anything, your just freaking Jewish…chill out.’ It may be funny but it has a ring of truth to it. Less so now then when it was said three years ago, but true none the less.
In short I’ve been somewhat simple minded for the last few years, it’s all been about only one thing: where can I find a place that I’m comfortable being me. I hope and pray camp will add a new dimension to that. That idea certainly was a big reason I decided to move to this new place. I know if nothing else I will walk away with many, many good stories that I hope to share on this blog. For now I’ll keep learning as much as I can, doing what I can to reach my goals, it’s the only thing I can do.
La Chaim!
I never had any desire as a child to go and now at the age of twenty five, I’m getting ready for a summer filled with camp and I’m just not sure what to do about it. I mean I just got here, I’m just a month and a half into living in Boston, I’m just starting to feel comfortable where I am and now I’m about to be somewhere else.
What I know is this, after the summer is over I’ll have a few quiet months at work, I’ll have time then to pursue my larger goals and for now I need to accept that this summer is part of those larger goals, it can just be difficult to see at times. I knew when I accepted this job that this was part of the deal: devote the summer to your job in exchange for getting September almost completely off for the Jewish holidays, getting leave early every Shabbat. In exchange for living, eating, breathing, sleeping amongst Jews all the time.
I told my father, thus far, since college / Birthright every decision I’ve made has focused around only one thing. When I moved to New York after college it was because I wanted to live in a Jewish community for the first time in my life. When I picked up everything and went to Israel is was because I wanted to do some serious learning and connect with Eretz Israel in a deeper way. When I took the job with camp it was because I’d be in a place where no one would question my Jewishness, which truth be told, was and is still a big issue for me. A good friend remarked one time ‘gosh you’re just Jewish, you’re not coming out of the closet or anything, your just freaking Jewish…chill out.’ It may be funny but it has a ring of truth to it. Less so now then when it was said three years ago, but true none the less.
In short I’ve been somewhat simple minded for the last few years, it’s all been about only one thing: where can I find a place that I’m comfortable being me. I hope and pray camp will add a new dimension to that. That idea certainly was a big reason I decided to move to this new place. I know if nothing else I will walk away with many, many good stories that I hope to share on this blog. For now I’ll keep learning as much as I can, doing what I can to reach my goals, it’s the only thing I can do.
La Chaim!
Monday, June 1, 2009
People and places
Places make you proud for a moment; people fill your life with love.
Ever since I went to Israel on birthright, the idea of that place has dominated my imagination. But it is ultimately land, as special as it may be ultimately it has not sustained me.
The time I’ve spent there, means nothing to me when I compare it to the people I’ve met both here and there. Israel is a spark inside me, but the people who nurture that spark and help me keep it safe are the gentle wind that makes it burn.
This week one such good friend returns to Eretz Israel, hatzlacha.
Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Abbas Zaki
See this link Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Abbas Zaki I sure hope people understand what we're up against, this is not posturing, this is reality. The crazy thing is that this isn't new, this is exactly what these people have been doing for years. Making speeches designed to placate the American and European viewers, while openly stating their real opinions and objectives when asked. Its unbelievable. Some exerpts below.
Abbas Zaki: "With the two-state solution, in my opinion, Israel will collapse, because if they get out of Jerusalem, what will become of all the talk about the Promised Land and the Chosen People? What will become of all the sacrifices they made - just to be told to leave? They consider Jerusalem to have a spiritual status. The Jews consider Judea and Samaria to be their historic dream. If the Jews leave those places, the Zionist idea will begin to collapse. It will regress of its own accord. Then we will move forward."
Abbas Zaki: "The people of the West Bank are active day and night - with stones, with demonstrations, all the people have taken to the streets. You asked me if I support, in light of this bloodshed... Don't forget we're Arabs - we believe in blood vengeance. No one can treat our blood like water. We should have afflicted them with three or four operations, and then their women would have said to those sons of bitches: 'Come home, we are getting killed here.' When Israel focuses on one front, other fronts should be activated."
Abbas Zaki: "We consider the U.S. to be an enemy because its only strategic alliance is with Israel."
Interviewer: "How could you possibly accept your enemy in your land?"
Abbas Zaki: "What do you mean? We meet even with Israel."
Interviewer: "How can you consider Israel to be your enemy, if you signed a peace treaty with it?"
Abbas Zaki: "Allow me... This enemy... If I had the capabilities of the U.S. - would I be fighting it or negotiating with it?"
Abbas Zaki: "The use of weapons alone will not bring results, and the use of politics without weapons will not bring results. We act on the basis of our extensive experience. We analyze our situation carefully. We know what climate leads to victory and what climate leads to suicide. We talk politics, but our principles are clear. It was our pioneering leader, Yasser Arafat, who persevered with this revolution, when empires collapsed. Our armed struggle has been going on for 43 years, and the political struggle, on all levels, has been going on for 50 years. We harvest U.N. resolutions, and we shame the world so that it doesn't gang up on us, because the world is led by people who have given their brains a vacation..."
Abbas Zaki: "With the two-state solution, in my opinion, Israel will collapse, because if they get out of Jerusalem, what will become of all the talk about the Promised Land and the Chosen People? What will become of all the sacrifices they made - just to be told to leave? They consider Jerusalem to have a spiritual status. The Jews consider Judea and Samaria to be their historic dream. If the Jews leave those places, the Zionist idea will begin to collapse. It will regress of its own accord. Then we will move forward."
Abbas Zaki: "The people of the West Bank are active day and night - with stones, with demonstrations, all the people have taken to the streets. You asked me if I support, in light of this bloodshed... Don't forget we're Arabs - we believe in blood vengeance. No one can treat our blood like water. We should have afflicted them with three or four operations, and then their women would have said to those sons of bitches: 'Come home, we are getting killed here.' When Israel focuses on one front, other fronts should be activated."
Abbas Zaki: "We consider the U.S. to be an enemy because its only strategic alliance is with Israel."
Interviewer: "How could you possibly accept your enemy in your land?"
Abbas Zaki: "What do you mean? We meet even with Israel."
Interviewer: "How can you consider Israel to be your enemy, if you signed a peace treaty with it?"
Abbas Zaki: "Allow me... This enemy... If I had the capabilities of the U.S. - would I be fighting it or negotiating with it?"
Abbas Zaki: "The use of weapons alone will not bring results, and the use of politics without weapons will not bring results. We act on the basis of our extensive experience. We analyze our situation carefully. We know what climate leads to victory and what climate leads to suicide. We talk politics, but our principles are clear. It was our pioneering leader, Yasser Arafat, who persevered with this revolution, when empires collapsed. Our armed struggle has been going on for 43 years, and the political struggle, on all levels, has been going on for 50 years. We harvest U.N. resolutions, and we shame the world so that it doesn't gang up on us, because the world is led by people who have given their brains a vacation..."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
